Kenneth Faried (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly interested in trading for Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Tyus Jones, while the Denver Nuggets continue to "ramp up efforts" in moving Kenneth Faried this season.
The 76ers and Pelicans are among the teams showing interest in Timberwolves point guard Tyus Jones, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. With the Wolves seem to delay trading Ricky Rubio, Wojnarowski claims Minnesota is more open to moving Jones in the short term.
"Several teams - including Philadelphia and New Orleans - have shown interest in point guard Tyus Jones, 20, whom the Wolves are more open to moving in the short term, league sources said," Woj wrote.
Jones caught the attention of teams that are looking for a solid backup point guard after his MVP performance in the NBA's Summer League. The 20-year-old, who averaged 4.2 points and 2.9 assists last season, while playing 15.5 minutes a game, was selected as 24th overall last year by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ben Simmons' injury has forced the 76ers to look for another playmaker, while the Pelicans are also in the hunt for a backup PG, with Jrue Holiday set to be sidelined for a while to spend time with her wife Lauren Holiday, who is facing brain surgery to remove a tumor.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets are also a team to watch in the trade market, with Denver reportedly speeding up their efforts to unload Kenneth Faried from their roster, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
"With Kenneth Faried at risk of losing his starting job, league sources tell Kyler that the big man may not be thrilled with a move to the bench, which could prompt the Nuggets to ramp up efforts to trade him this season," Kyler noted.
Faried was a fan-favorite in Denver, but is slowly finding himself irrelevant in the team's future plans, with the emergence of Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic. Faried, who averaged 12.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game last season, could still be of tremendous value for contenders like the Cavs, Celtics and Warriors, all of which have been linked to the Manimal in the past few weeks.
It is still unclear whether the Nuggets would truly consider such move, but expect several teams to give Denver a call for the services of Faried before the trade deadline.
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