After coming through with an outstanding performance with Team USA at the FIBA World Cup of Basketball, Kenneth Faried's draft stock skyrocketed in a tremendous rate. All of sudden, numerous ball clubs are inquiring into the possibility of acquiring the hard-working forward via trade - one of which is the up-and-coming Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors' interest in Faried dated all the way back to last February's trade deadline. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported that Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri wanted to bring in Faried, whom he selected 22nd overall in the 2011 NBA Draft during his tenure with the Denver Nuggets.
"The Toronto Raptors have expressed interest in acquiring Denver Nuggets power forward Kenneth Faried before Thursday's trade deadline, league sources told Basketball Insiders," per Kennedy's report.
Despite Toronto's late push for Faried, the Nuggets decided to stick with Faried and saw the power forward emerge as one of the best young big men in the game. The former Morehead State standout steadily developed his low-post game under the tutelage of head coach Brian Shaw, making him a more complete all-around offensive player.
In last month's World Cup, Faried showed his incredible tenacity on the floor as he averaged 12.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game to earn a spot in the All-Tournament team.
Faried's huge performance at the World Cup served as an eye-opener for other general managers around the league about the immense upside the 24-year old power forward possesses. And as expected, the Raptors were among the first teams that reportedly made inquiry on the availability of Faried on the trading front.
However, Kennedy believed the Nuggets will not allow to lose their leading candidate as their new franchise player, even more now following Faried's great performance at the World Cup.
"Last season before the trade deadline, I reported that the Raptors had contacted the Nuggets about a Kenneth Faried trade. This came from a league source, and I was told that Masai Ujiri was interested in acquiring Faried since he is the one who drafted him," Kennedy stressed.
"With that said, I don't know if Denver will be willing to move Faried. I think he has shown significant progress since then (and looked excellent with Team USA), so they may decide to hold onto him. Yes, that will mean that they have to give him a big payday, but I think he has shown that he's worth it."
The Nuggets have until October 31 to sign Faried to a contract extension or else he will become a restricted free-agent next summer.
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