Houston Rockets big man Kenneth Faried learned in his first year in the league that the NBA is a business and it can be ruthless.

Faried, who was drafted by the Denver Nuggets, saw Denver trade center Nene just three months after they signed him to a lucrative five-year, $67 million contract.

The Nuggets sent Nene to the Washington Wizards. Faried says he will never forget that trade.

“I saw Denver sign Nene for all that money and trade him that same year,” Faried told Zach Lowe of ESPN. “After that, I said, ‘OK, this league is cutthroat.' No one really cares about you. They treat [Nene] like that?”

Faried spent the first seven years of his NBA career with the Nuggets. Denver traded him to the Brooklyn Nets last summer.

The Nets and Faried were able to agree on a buyout during the season. The Manimal then signed with the Rockets and has been playing really good basketball for Houston, who is in the third spot in the Western Conference standings.

Faried and Nene have been reunited on the Rockets. Everything has come full circle for Faried, who is averaging 12.9 points and 8.2 rebounds with Houston while shooting 58.7 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from beyond the arc.