The Denver Nuggets pulled off a remarkable books-clearing night after trading away the contracts of Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur while addressing the need for a bench scorer by signing Isaiah Thomas to a veteran's minimum deal.

Yet parting ways with Faried, who spent his seven NBA seasons with the team, leaves the question of what it means for the locker room.

Nick Kosmider of The Athletic put an end to the rumors, claiming Faried was never a disruption among his teammates, despite how he audibly felt deserving of the starting power forward spot.

“Faried should not leave town with the label of a guy who disrupted the locker room,” said Kosmider in a tweet, responding to a fan's claim. “From the work I've done gathering intel about that situation, it's simply not true. Was he unhappy he wasn't playing? Yes. But causing a rift with players who were? Not the case.”

Kosmider continued, arguing that while Faried wasn't short of missteps, the breakup between the two sides is what's best for both.

“And I'm in no way saying Faried didn't have his faults. He had a habit of being his own worst enemy. But when we say “locker room” we are saying he specifically compromised other players. That's what I'm disputing. That's all. Not that a fresh start is best for both sides. It is.”

Faried's competitiveness goes unquestioned here, the issue is his limited skillset, as his potential tops out at being a Clint Capela-type of player — a lob-catching, motor guy that can provide a jolt for the offense with his tenacity at the offensive glass.

Sadly, the Manimal lacks Capela's defensive presence or his shot-blocking, making him more of a bench guy than a starting power forward in most teams. Though as Kosmider said, there's no disruption coming from him in a locker room where every starter has had to earn his spot.