During the 2015 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets were aggressively trying to jump up the board and offering Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried in exchange for a higher pick. The move went unnoticed and the Nuggets stayed put to select Emmanuel Mudiay. However, both players remained available on the trade block with Lawson headed to the Houston Rockets on Sunday. Is there still a market for Faried?
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Nuggets and Rockets negotiated a trade for Lawson that saw Denver acquire some depth they promptly released. Is Faried the next player to be moved? According to Nathan Grubel of Hoops Habit, Faried is not a part of the long-term future in Denver. The power forward is a quality option for any team, but it is unclear exactly what Denver is looking for in return. Regardless, there is a need for him on other teams.
The Dallas Mavericks remain the best landing spot for Faried at this point in time. After missing out on DeAndre Jordan, the Mavericks acquired Zaza Pachulia who is a good option, but not a great one when they have players like Wesley Matthews and Chandler Parsons come off injuries. Getting Faried would solidify the team's defensive efforts while giving them a dynamic option on the court.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the team remains interested in players like JaVale McGee and Carlos Boozer, but has yet to act on it. Both centers would serve one purpose of sitting under the basket and protecting the rim. Faried can do that and more which might be more appealing to the Mavericks in the long-term. There is interest in both McGee and Boozer, but teams are clearly waiting for contract demands to go down, something Dallas cannot afford to do. Being in the highly competitive Western Conference, Dallas needs to act now in getting a deal done with someone.
After getting one more defensive option, the Mavericks roster will likely be set. The team now has Deron Williams and JJ Barea to battle it out for the starting point guard spot. Matthews is expected to be a starter on opening night as the Mavericks remain confident he will be healthy in time. The same can be said for Parsons. Is this a roster that can battle Golden State or the beefed up Houston Rockets? That remains to be seen.
