Fansided

NBA Rumors: Raptors eyeing draft day trade for Kenneth Faried?

By Josh Hill

Mar 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) reacts during double overtime of a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. The Nuggets defeated the Pelicans 118-111 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) reacts during double overtime of a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. The Nuggets defeated the Pelicans 118-111 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Denver Nuggets are looking to dump fuel, and the Toronto Raptors might be there to pick up the pieces. 

The Denver Nuggets were a dumpster fire in 2014-15, but there is still some sort of hope for the future. The team has been a disaster since they fired George Karl a few years ago and it’s looking like the bright future is still way down the line.

Denver has no head coach, barely any star power that actually wants to reside in Denver and hardly any immediate hope. That is being further lessened by the idea that the Nuggets are looking to trade stars like Ty Lawson and Keneth Faried.

According to NBA scribe Chuck Myron, the Toronto Raptors seem like a natural draft day trade destination for Kenneth Faried.

"I think they’ll try, absolutely. The Nuggets haven’t hidden the idea that major changes are on the way. The Raptors, with former Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri in place, make sense as a suitor for Kenneth Faried, and perhaps the Kings, too. The Kings also make sense for Lawson, as would the Lakers if they somehow miss out on Rajon Rondo. Most of that is just my speculation, though."

It’s a question of whether or not the Raptors would have to give up their first-round pick in 2015 to get Faried off Denver’s hand. Toronto needs wing production and that’s where Rondae Hollis-Jefferson makes a natural fit. But at the end of the day, adding a big like Faried is huge and something that Raptors can’t pass on to take an unproven rookie.

Of course, the best case scenario is if Raptors GM Masai Ujiri can fleece his old team, grab Faried and hang onto the first-round pick to double up on the assets. Adding Faried and someone like Hollis-Jefferson to the fold with DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Amir Johnson is something that makes the Raptors instantly a more dangerous team heading into next season then they’ve been in years.

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