NBA Trade Grades: Nuggets dump Kenneth Faried to Nets
Denver Nuggets
The Brooklyn Nets weren’t the only busy team on Thursday, as the Denver Nuggets made serious moves to finally get under the luxury tax and address their backup point guard position.
After trading small forward Wilson Chandler to inch ever closer to ducking the tax line, the Nuggets finally got there in a deal that not only unloaded Faried’s expiring contract, but Arthur’s as well. The fact that they were able to unload both without including an unprotected first-rounder puts GM Arturas Karnisovas two miracles shy of sainthood.
No kidding, Denver getting off that money without having to pay an unprotected first is a win for them.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) July 13, 2018
A top-12 protection on the pick also gives Denver some flexibility. If Paul Millsap can’t stay healthy again or the playoff picture starts slipping away in the crowded Western Conference, the Nuggets can position themselves to keep their pick with some late-season tanking.
For a team that’s gung-ho about returning to the postseason, even if Denver finishes seventh or eighth in the West and winds up surrendering a pick in the teens, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. This is a young, talented roster that doesn’t have room for another rookie anyway.
I get the idea. Here’s the issue.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) July 13, 2018
1. It’s protected, which I didn’t think they’d be able to get, so if this season bombs, they’re covered.
2. They're so young, and stacked, they literally don't have room for a 15-plus-pick rookie in the rotation. They literally can’t play him https://t.co/ok5ihLwAbL
There are also the immense luxury tax savings to consider for a team not good enough to come saddled with such a steep bill.
In addition to getting $8.7 million below the tax line, the Nuggets freed up a roster spot in the process as well.
Clearing out the Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur contract saves Denver a combined $43M in salary and projected luxury tax. The Nuggets now have 14 players on guaranteed contracts and are now $8.7M below the luxury tax. Denver this offseason has saved... https://t.co/DcFNG7qhB1
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 13, 2018
On the same day as this trade was reported, the Nuggets also agreed to sign Isaiah Thomas — who finished top-five in MVP voting just two seasons ago — to a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum.
There’s no such thing as a low-risk addition, especially for an injured point guard who still thinks he’s the man and will want to start on a team that already favors Jamal Murray, but getting IT for that value is a smart gamble, especially if he embraces a sixth man role.
So to recap:
So Denver:
— T.J. McBride (@TJMcBrideNBA) July 13, 2018
-Got a backup point guard in Isaiah Thomas for 1yr/$2 million
-Cleared both Faried and Arthur off of the books
-Opened additional roster spot
-Only lost a protected 1st and future 2nd round picks
-Are now $8.6 million under the tax
-Gain Bi-Annuel Exception
That is quite impressive work from the Nuggets’ front office, even if some points need to be taken off for signing Faried and Arthur to those deadweight contracts in the first place.
Even if Denver doesn’t have room for another rookie and was fortunate to ship out these contracts while still putting protections on that first-rounder, it’s never an outright win to give up a first round pick just to shed salary. If the Nuggets had wanted to do something more creative with it, they could have, if not for being shackled by needing to get rid of these deals.
Still, considering the circumstances, this is excellent work for the Nuggets to get under the luxury tax, ship off two players who weren’t part of the rotation, land a backup point guard and only have to give up a protected first and a second-rounder.
Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Grade: A-