The Denver Nuggets made a long-awaited move, shipping forwards Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur, along with two future picks to the Brooklyn Nets in a salary-dump move for Isaiah Whitehead, who they soon-after waived.
The Nets, who have cleared some cap space of their own, hoping to contend for a big 2019 free agency that is quickly approaching, held on to Faried
“Hey, I never stopped being the player I am. There’s no ‘were,’”Faried said Wednesday as he was introduced at the team’s Brooklyn training facility, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “The Nuggets wanted to go in a different direction. Brooklyn decided, ‘Hey, let’s pick up a still-able, still-capable player who can go out and produce and lead a team and do the things he’s done before.’ … They believed in me, took this chance to trade for me, and I’m excited to be here and produce.”
Faried had fallen out of the rotation during his last couple of seasons with the Nuggets, seeing a career-low 21.2 minutes per outing on 2016-17 as Nikola Jokic made his ascent as one of the league's best up-and-coming talents — a number that dropped to a measly 14.4 minutes per game last season, buried under Paul Millsap and Wilson Chandler in the depth chart.
A player who's known for his motor and ability to crash the boards, the Manimal is coming off a career-worst 5.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game — but a new outlook in Brooklyn could perhaps revitalize his NBA career if he manages to set the tone early on.