Phoenix Suns should help out Denver with their salary cap struggles
By Kyle Manthe
This offseason the Denver Nuggets will be in a difficult salary cap. The Phoenix Suns should be the nice guys they are and help Denver out!
The Phoenix Suns are in a position this offseason where they can choose from many paths that will determine their future. They have as much cap space and future assets as nearly any team in the league.
Although why settle for what you have? Why not gather more assets and improve the team for next season if the opportunity presents itself?
After an exciting and productive start to his career, Kenneth Faried has fallen out of the rotation in Denver in recent years. His name has been mentioned in trade rumors frequently for over a year now, although it was recently reported that Denver could be looking to package Faried with the 14th pick in the draft to reduce their luxury tax bill.
It would not be difficult in Phoenix’s current position to take on Faried’s 13.7 million dollar salary next season. The Suns would also have to account for the draft pick’s cap hold, which is a few million.
If the rumors are true, there will be other bidders for this particular trade package so Phoenix will not get two assets for nothing.
A trade could potentially look similar to the following:
Even with giving up a future first round pick, the Phoenix Suns should still take this and not look back. It will likely cost more than expected or reported if other teams with cap space are interested, which I expect to be the case.
For Denver, with this deal they get immediate cap relief plus a very valuable pick this year. The first pick of the second round gets a significantly smaller contract than a first round pick but also is still a player capable of contributing in some way for a contending team.
The Suns would have to add some additional protections to the Milwaukee pick. If the pick would end up conveying to Phoenix, then Denver would receive two second round picks instead. It also benefits the Nuggets to have these assets pushed back to the future when they will have more cap flexibility.
For the Phoenix Suns, the main headline of this trade will be the 14th pick in the draft obviously. This will set Phoenix with three first round picks and become the team best prepared to make a big move this offseason. If that does not come to fruition, then Faried’s salary will come off the books next year which some think may be the smarter time to make a move. The addition of Faried to this roster is also something that can not be overlooked.
In acquiring Faried, the saying one man’s trash is another man’s treasure may be a spot on assessment.
In Faried, the Suns are getting the exact type of player they should be targeting this offseason. He is a veteran who hustles all over the floor and contributes to winning more than his stat line. Getting away from Denver where he has not played much the past two seasons could also rejuvenate him and boost his production and effort for the coming season.
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Faried would likely be the first post player off the bench in a role of around 20-25 minutes a night. He could also fill in starting at either post position if need be.
Whether the Suns’ plan is to become a competitive team next season, or preparing for a blockbuster summer in 2019 this trade will help them either way. Adding a productive hard working veteran on an expiring contract and another lottery pick for cap space and low level picks should be a no-brainer for a team coming out of a rebuild.