With players like Kevin Love and Eric Bledsoe off the market, Kenneth Faried becomes one of the best players available next offseason. The Denver Nuggets forward only increased his value in the league with a successful stint playing with Team USA in the offseason. That should work out in his favor in regards to free agency, but does it mean he becomes too expensive for the Denver Nuggets to retain?
The Denver Nuggets are on the clock to determine the future of Faried with the franchise. They have until the end of October to lock down the star to a long-term contract or else he hits the market in the 2015. Faried will be a restricted free agent and wants nothing less than a max contract. According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, Faried is not looking to get short-changed in his next contract which could make him trade bait in the coming year. Kyler believes that the two sides will not come to any kind of agreement before October, noting it will be in the forward's best interest to wait until next summer for a new contract. He would avoid the fifth year issue.
There is still a chance that the Nuggets could opt to trade Faried if they feel like they will get nothing in return. The New York Knicks have had their eyes on the forward for some time now as the New York Daily News reported Phil Jackson offered everyone from Iman Shumpert to Amar'e Stoudemire in a potential deal. That was shot down earlier in the summer and likely will again. However, the Knicks will have the salary cap space to outbid the Nuggets for Faried. Both Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani will be off the books and it looks like Shumpert will be as well.
The Knicks have interest in several players like Faried as Jackson prepares to make a serious run at the 2015 free agents. The team has been linked to Greg Monroe who signed a one-year qualifying offer from the Detroit Pistons to be unrestricted in 2015. They are looking at LaMarcus Aldridge and could also enter the Rajon Rondo sweepstakes if another team shows interest in Jose Calderon.
Faried's free agency stint could get messy. While the Nuggets have no interest in letting the forward get away, they might not be able to retain him if negotiations sour. There are a lot of teams that will have a high amount of salary cap space next offseason and need the forward.
