No. 1 – Kenneth Faried
With Ty Lawson gone, Faried is the de facto face of the franchise for the Nuggets. However, he is probably the one piece on the roster that can bring the most value in return. The one hinderance being his $50 million extension with the Nuggets that kicks in this season.
Most of Faried’s talents are brought upon by hustle. He is an above average rebounder, and the offense doesn’t need to go through him for him to get his points. That is both a good thing and an area of concern. Opposing teams can play off Faried defensively which clogs up space for the rest of the team. On defense “The Manimal” will provide plenty of highlight blocks, but is a below average one-on-one defender.
With the new collective bargaining agreement coming down the pipeline, the NBA is expected to see the salary cap grow tremendously. While it appears now that Faried is owed a lot of money, his contract will actually be fairly team friendly compared to players of similar skill set. Now is the time to capitalize on Faried’s potential and move him to acquire assets to help build for the future.
