Denver Nuggets turn Kenneth Faried’s trade value into a salary dump

In what amounts to a salary dump, the Denver Nuggets traded Kenneth Faried to the Brooklyn Nets.

While this was supposed to be the Summer of LeBron, the NBA offseason seemed to peak as soon as it started and simmered in the days after July 1st. Attention has shifted to where Kawhi Leonard will be traded, but that’s not the only deal folks have been waiting on.

It seems like fans have been waiting for years to hear that Kenneth Faried has been traded, and that moment finally came on Thursday night. Because basketball rumors never sleep, the Denver Nuggets took full advantage of the Mountain time zone to strike a midnight deal. Faried was dealt along with Darrell Arthur to the Brooklyn Nets, in what amounts to a salary dump.

There was a time when Faried was being rumored as the centrepiece of a deal that could land the Nuggets Kevin Love. This was back when Love was still trying to secure his exit from Minnesota, but the Faried chatter lived beyond that.

Now we live in a world where his value is nothing more than being part of a salary dump, which is as anticlimactic as it gets. That doesn’t mean Brooklyn isn’t getting a potential All-Star talent, as the big man is still one of the better players at his position. Double that when considering he’s moving to a weaker conference. There’s an outside chance that Brooklyn is actually decent this year, and will at the very least be worthy of early-season League Pass attention.

As for Denver, this salary dump might be a sign that they’re gearing up for a bigger move. They entered the LeBron James sweepstakes — to no avail and much mockery — but we’re talking about a team that narrowly missed a playoff berth last season. There’s a lot to love about the Nuggets, and where they go from here will be interesting to watch.