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The latest quotes from the Denver Nuggets organization have confirmed season-long suspicions: Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson want off of the team. Say what you will about Faried and Lawson as players — both have definite flaws in their game — but these are two major names to hit the trading block, and I expect NBA teams to prepare big-time offers for them.
Where do the Toronto Raptors stand as suitors? Well, I don’t think the team is or should be that interested in Lawson. He’s a point guard, and the Raptors’ backcourt is overcrowded as it is. Faried, on the other hand, is a real point of intrigue. The Raptors have a huge hole at power forward, and Faried’s elite athleticism and energy would be welcome on a team that, let’s face it, had one of the softest front courts in the league this season.
I’ll be honest: I’m not huge on the Manimal as a player in general. He’s not a great shooter, and his athleticism doesn’t always translate to good defense. I see Faried as something in the vein of Amir Johnson in his best Raptors days. Not that that’s a bad thing — Amir is my all-time favorite Raptor, and was extremely useful to the team for years — it’s just not a role suitable to Faried’s $13 million per-year salary.
However, if there’s any team that needs Faried it’s the Raptors. If the goal is to make young Jonas Valanciunas the franchise center, he’ll likely need an athlete to play with him to mask his own mediocre athleticism. Faried is also a monster rebounder, an area the Raptors struggled with this season. Their bigs’ weakness on the glass was on full display against the Washington Wizards in the first round, leading to a rather undignified sweep that fans wish they could just forget about.
Finally, Faried has a connection with Raptors’ GM Masai Ujiri. As the Nuggets’ GM in 2011, Ujiri drafted Faried 22nd overall, which eventually helped earn him Executive of the Year honors. Moreover, the Raptors reportedly expressed interest before the season started in bringing Faried to the team. Obviously, no trade was worked out, but that’s hardly surprising; the Nuggets went in to the season thinking they were contenders. One lost season and a few trades later, they are rebuilders. Lawson and Faried don’t want to be part of a rebuild, and the Raptors are — for better or worse — likely not looking to rebuild either. Don’t be surprised if Manimal moves up north this summer.
Casey Sherman is the Toronto Raptors Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @shermham
