10 most valuable contracts in the NBA
By Bryce Olin
7. Kenneth Faried (4 years, $6.2 million)
In the last season of his rookie deal, Faried is making $2.2 million this season. While Faried doesn’t blow people away with his numbers (13.PPG, 8.6 rebounds), I don’t think “The Manimal” has been fully unleashed on the NBA.
| Season | MP | FG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 27.2 | .545 | .650 | 8.6 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 13.7 |
| Career | 26.5 | .554 | .640 | 8.6 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 12.1 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/22/2014.
Last season, Faried only played 27.2 minutes per game. In part, this was due to head coach Brain Shaw’s lineup shuffles, team injury problems, and Faried getting fatigued, but Faried should be playing more minutes. That’s simple. His per-36 numbers look much better:
| Season | FG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | .545 | .650 | 11.3 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 18.1 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/22/2014.
The fact is Faried, one of the most athletically dynamic players in the league, only makes $1.5 million on average while putting up solid numbers across the board and giving the Nuggets a shot of energy every time he takes the floor.
Based on his 19.8 PER last season, which ranked eighth among power forwards, Faried is worth somewhere between $9-10 million per season. That’s definitely good enough to be one of the ten most valuable contracts in the NBA.