The Denver Nuggets enter the 2015-16 season as a team in rebuilding mode. While they haven’t gone full tank mode by retaining the likes of Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Jameer Nelson, they are still creating a core of youth centered around 7th overall pick Emmanuel Mudiay.
The Western Conference is difficult for any team, and even more so for a team in a transition. It may very well take two-to-three years before the Nuggets return to playoff form. With that in mind, here are three players that the Nuggets should move on from to give their youth more opportunity to play right away.
No. 3 – Randy Foye
Foye is entering his 10th season in the NBA and third with the Nuggets. Foye is a serviceable shooting guard, but doesn’t seem to make sense as a starter in Denver. In his last six seasons, he has only averaged more than 30 minutes per game once. In his career, he has only shot above 40% from the three point line twice, most recently in 2012-13 for the Utah Jazz which helped him earn his contract from the Denver.
Currently Foye is ahead of Gary Harris, Will Barton and Nick Johnson on the depth chart. Harris and Johnson are both former first round picks entering their second seasons, and Barton was the main piece brought back to the Nuggets in the Arron Afflalo trade.
As an asset, Foye is entering the final year of his three-year deal with the Nuggets. Not having any guaranteed money attached beyond this season makes him more attractive to a contender looking to add shooting off the bench. Alone, Foye doesn’t carry a ton of value on the trade market, but could easily be included in a package deal, or at the very least a trade exception or future second round pick.
No. 2 – JJ Hickson
Hickson remains the most curious signing of the Tim Connelly era with the Nuggets. Hickson is an undersized big man who struggles defensively against centers and doesn’t quite have the offensive skills you would want out of a power forward in today’s NBA. Hickson averaged a double-double for the Trailblazers in 2012-13 when he was a starter, but has found himself filling a bench role for the Nuggets.
One area the Nuggets are the deepest at is big men. They have a lot of youth at center with Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic. At the four, Hickson is not only behind Kenneth Faried, but Gallinari will see a lot more action in that position with Michael Malone returning to a run-and-gun style of offense. The Nuggets are also very high on second year prospect Joffrey Lauvergne.
Much like Foye, Hickson is entering the final year of his deal making him expendable. His signing never made sense from day one, and now Connelly will be in position to correct that mistake by shipping Hickson out of town.
No. 1 – Kenneth Faried
With Ty Lawson gone, Faried is the de facto face of the franchise for the Nuggets. However, he is probably the one piece on the roster that can bring the most value in return. The one hinderance being his $50 million extension with the Nuggets that kicks in this season.
Most of Faried’s talents are brought upon by hustle. He is an above average rebounder, and the offense doesn’t need to go through him for him to get his points. That is both a good thing and an area of concern. Opposing teams can play off Faried defensively which clogs up space for the rest of the team. On defense “The Manimal” will provide plenty of highlight blocks, but is a below average one-on-one defender.
With the new collective bargaining agreement coming down the pipeline, the NBA is expected to see the salary cap grow tremendously. While it appears now that Faried is owed a lot of money, his contract will actually be fairly team friendly compared to players of similar skill set. Now is the time to capitalize on Faried’s potential and move him to acquire assets to help build for the future.