Nuggets trade Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur to Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired forwards Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur, along with a protected 2019 first round draft pick and a 2020 second round draft pick, from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for guard Isaiah Whitehead.

According to the New York Post, “the Lin trade erases his $12.5 million expiring deal from the books.”

More from the Post: “Nets get Faried, and his $13.8 million expiring salary, as well as Darrell Arthur to get a 2019 first-round pick (protected 1-through-12) and a 2020 second-rounder.”

“DA is one of the best guys I have ever come across in all my time in the league,” said Nuggets President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly . “When we traded for him, he and his amazing wife Niecy instantly impacted our community. They have done so much to help those in need, and almost all of it was done with no fanfare. As a player his toughness, ability to guard multiple positions and stretch the floor will be sorely missed. As a person it’s hard to quantify what he has meant to our team. Brooklyn is getting one of the league’s true gentleman.”

“There aren’t many players in the league who play with more energy or passion than Kenneth Faried,” stated Connelly. “To watch him develop as a player and a man in Denver has been a joy to watch. Last season he handled a diminished role like a consummate professional. I’m excited for his next opportunity, but he will certainly be missed.”

Faried (6’8”, 228) averaged 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game over 32 games for the Nuggets during the 2017-18 season. The Newark, N.J., native played seven seasons for Denver, registering averages of 11.4 points and 8.2 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per contest through 441 career games. Selected with the 22nd pick in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Nuggets, Faried earned All-Rookie First Team honors following his inaugural season. The Morehead State product was a two-time Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and three-time OVC Defensive Player of the Year.

Arthur (6’9”, 235) played in 19 games for the Nuggets during the 2017-18 season, averaging 2.8 points in 7.4 minutes per contest. The Dallas, Texas, native has posted career averages of 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 17.8 minutes per game in 503 career games over nine NBA seasons with Denver (2013-18) and Memphis (2008-13). Arthur was selected with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft by New Orleans. He spent two years at the University of Kansas, where he earned All-Big 12 First Team honors as a sophomore and helped lead the Jayhawks to the 2008 National Championship.

Whitehead played in 89 games for Brooklyn over the past two seasons, recording averages of 7.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 20.5 minutes per game. He was selected with the 42nd overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by Utah and was acquired by Brooklyn in a draft-night trade.

On the future of Kenneth Faried and the Nuggets

Kenneth Faried had been thought of as the future of the Nuggets. That’s in the past. As for the future, here’s the Denver Post reporting as the team looks forward to free agency and the draft:

One potential anchor to rid is forward Kenneth Faried. He was inactive from Feb. 3 through the end of the season, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski recently reported the Nuggets have been shopping to trade him for a year. Faried is Denver’s third-highest-paid player with a base salary of almost $13 million, according to Sportrac, and successfully packaging him with the No. 14 pick would give the Nuggets $26.7 million in cap space to work with. Another veteran with a hefty price tag who played sparingly in 2017-18 is Darrell Arthur; he carries a dead cap figure of $14.6 million and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2019.

They’re not the only variables in play as the Nuggets re-evaluate their finances for next season. There’s also Wilson Chandler, who has a player option this season and is due $12.8 million should he choose to return, and Connelly said the Nuggets want to bring back guard Will Barton, who’s an unrestricted free agent…

Connelly said Wednesday that with the No. 14 pick in the draft, the Nuggets are looking for a player with positional versatility who is skilled on the defensive end.

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Denver Nuggets exercise contract options on Kenneth Faried and Evan Fournier

Kenneth Faried

The Nuggets have exercised the fourth-year contract option on forward Kenneth Faried and the third-year option on guard Evan Fournier for 2014-15, general manager/executive vice president of basketball operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Faried, the 22nd overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, averaged 11.5 points and 9.2 rebounds – both career-highs – in 80 games for the Nuggets last season. He recorded 31 double-doubles and ranked ninth in the NBA in field-goal percentage (.552).

In 126 career games (119 starts), Faried has averaged 11.1 points and 8.6 rebounds, while posting 43 double-doubles. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2011-12.

In addition to his production on the court, Faried received the 2012-13 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award presented annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association.

Fournier, the 20th overall pick in 2012, averaged 5.3 points and 1.2 assists in 38 games as a rookie last season. He scored in double-figures in six of his final nine appearances, including a career-high 24 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on April 14.

Fournier, 21, turned pro as a teenager and played for Union Poitiers Basket 86 in France’s top pro league before entering the NBA Draft. He twice was named the French League’s Most Improved Player.