The Zhenjiang Lions and Kenneth Faried reached a buyout agreement after seven games with the team. He originally signed a one-year, $4.4 million contract with the team.

The reasoning behind Faried’s buyout was the result of a wrist injury and it was a mutual decision to part ways, per his manager. There weren’t sufficient rehab options in China and that resulted in the decision to bring him back to the United States.

After playing the first 12 games of the 2018-19 season for the Brooklyn Nets, he provided a spark for the Houston Rockets. During 25 performances with the Rockets, he averaged an impressive 12.9 points and 8.2 rebounds while posting 12 double-doubles.

The particular skill-set that Faried provides is that of a dirty work specialist and usually, there are only so many players of that mold in a team’s rotation. He isn’t a reliable enough jump-shooting threat to space the floor at the power forward spot and is considered undersized to play a traditional center role.

It’s certainly possible that an NBA team could eventually find a need for Faried’s skill-set. There are always injuries that occur throughout any given season that require teams to get creative with temporary veterans that they can trust. Teams can trust Faried to rebound and finish near the basket better than a typical player they’d find available.