Kenneth Faried (Photo : Getty Images)
The Atlanta Hawks could explore trading Paul Millsap to the Denver Nuggets for Kenneth Faried, revisiting trade talks involving both teams.
The Hawks may revisit trade talks of a potential deal that would send Millsap to the Nuggets for Faried, a trade scenario that gained buzz around the league a few weeks ago, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.
Lowe claimed the Nuggets almost had the Hawks biting on a package of picks and players, including Kenneth Faried, but TJ McBride of BSN Denver explored the possibility of Millsap ending up in Denver in exchange for Faried and Will Barton in a potential deal that works on ESPN's trade machine.
"While trading for Russell Westbrook is likely out of the picture after he re-signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the potential of adding Millsap should remain an idea worth exploring," McBride wrote.
"Packaging together Barton and Faried with their own first-round draft pick next year is a lot to give up, but the addition of Millsap may be too much to shy away from."
Millsap, who averaged 17.1 points and 9.0 rebounds for the Hawks last season, would provide the Nuggets an athletic big man to complement the potential of Emmanuel Mudiay and Nursuf Jokic. Millsap's wide range offensive arsenal and his ability to defend multiple positions should boost the Nuggets' frontcourt, giving them an All-Star caliber player they lack in recent years.
On the other hand, the Hawks getting Faried in return may not turn out as the best move as it would create spacing issues, with Dwight Howard's presence. But adding Barton in the mix should sweeten up the pot for the Hawks.
Faried and Howard would create an athletic frontcourt tandem that could wreak havoc on the boards and secure the defensive end, while Barton would be an added scorer to the Hawks backcourt rotation.
Meanwhile, McBride also projected the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers as potential destinations for Faried.
In McBride's trade scenario, the Bulls send Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic to the Nuggets for Faried and Joffrey Lauvergne. However, this type of deal may not be too enticing for the Nuggets who are already loaded with young prospects in their frontcourt.
One deal that could also work with the Nuggets is trading Faried and Wilson Chandler to the Cavs for Kevin Love.
According to McBride, trading for Love would give the Nuggets a chance to attract free agents next summer, considering the All-Star forward leads Denver to a playoff berth and gels well in the development of Mudiay and Jokic.
"If the Nuggets were able to trade for Love, make the playoffs as the 5-8 seed, turn their first-round series into a competitive one, while developing the likes of Mudiay, Harris and Jokic, would go a long way to attracting free agents next summer," McBride noted.
Love has never been a fit playing for the Cavs, and likely won't be once the team starts to defend their title. However, Faried and Chandler may be the right recipe for Cleveland's hopes of a back-to-back championship.
Faried's ability to run the floor and finish at the rim suits him well as a third or fourth scoring option for the Cavs. His presence would also strengthen the Cavs' interior defense and pairing him with Tristan Thompson would provide Cleveland more second chance opportunities.
Chandler, on the other hand, could take Love's role as a spot-up shooter and outside threat, giving the Cavs a more effective offensive threat.
It remains to be seen whether the these scenarios are actually on the table, but among the proposed deals, the Hawks and Cavs seem an intriguing destination for Faried, and Millsap and Love should get the attention of Denver if such deal materializes.
