The Denver Nuggets flirted with the Kevin Love trade this offseason and heading into the 2014 season, names like Kenneth Faried, Ty Lawson and JaVale McGee along with Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari could be on the trading block, as some of those players are heading into free agency and come the trade deadline, many teams could be targeting those names, including the Minnesota Timberwolves, NY Knicks and Indiana Pacers.
The Nuggets are coming off of a tough season and their main trade chip will be Faried if they don't sign him to an extension and Pro basketball Talk reports that the team has already had initial talks with Faried about a deal. According to Grantland.com writer Zach Lowe, teams have had issues with value regarding big men and players like Faried and McGee and that could lead to some tougher negotiations and possibly trades down the line.
Faried comes into the season on $2,249,768 salary and that will get bumped up to $3.2 million next season and he also is coming up to being eligible for an extension. The Nuggets and Faried have started talking about a deal, but those could break off later down the line and if he asks for too much money, the team could consider making a move. The Nuggets had a down year in 2013-14 and ended up with a 36-46 record after winning 50 games the year before and if Brian Shaw doesn't turn things around, a rebuild could be in the cards.
The team came into the summer with some players dealing with injury issues, including JJ Hickson as well as Lawson, but both players are looking like they are recovering well. Hickson was dealing with a torn ACL from back in March and he is getting back to things and his recovery has been going well, while Lawson dealt with an ankle injury towards the end the season. Lawson said that the injury would not affect him this season, but a month after the schedule ended he said it was still bothering him and that could be an issue for the team if it continues through the summer.
The Nuggets acquired Gary Harris in their trade for Doug McDermott with the Chicago Bulls and he could be a solid option for the team this year at point guard. Lawson has been solid over the past few years, but if his ankle issues persist or the team opts to make a move, he can step up. Harris has experience from his time at Michigan State and the team also has Nate Robinson as a backup point guard option.
Last season the Nuggets had issues on defense and ranked just 28th in the league in points allowed and Shaw needs to get that right this year. The team was ninth in points scored per game and that gives them a lot to build on, but they need to get more consistent up front and in the backcourt as well. The west is a very tough conference and the team will have to play much better against their division to make the playoffs after going just 5-11 against those teams last season.