Utah Jazz: Frequent trade partner Denver Nuggets willing to move No. 14 pick

The Denver Nuggets, who have conducted some interesting business with the Utah Jazz in the past, are reportedly once again open to dealing their first-round draft pick.

Due to the events of recent drafts, it’s almost become folk lore among Utah Jazz fans – if the Denver Nuggets want to make a trade, you pick up the phone!

The reason for that logic is simple. Utah’s pair of cornerstones – Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell – were both acquired in draft day trades with the Denver Nuggets. Gobert was had for pennies on the dollar. The Jazz sent them a second-round pick and cash considerations.

Mitchell came at a slightly steeper price as Utah had to package their No. 24 pick in the 2017 Draft along with Trey Lyles in order to nab the Louisville product with the 13th pick. Although it cost Utah a little more, I think it’s fair to say that Mitchell has been and will be worth every penny.

So in two consecutive recent occasions, the Jazz have absolutely fleeced Denver in a trade, bringing in players who have made enormous impacts while giving up very little. With that being the case, Utah Jazz fans may find it intriguing that a report has surfaced that the Denver Nuggets are open to trading their No. 14 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

I can just see the Utah faithful out there licking their chops.

The report comes from renowned ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, who on the recent ESPN Mock Draft Special, mentioned that there’s a likelihood that the Nuggets will opt to part ways with their lottery pick. Unfortunately, the reported scenario comes with a bit of a catch —

According to Woj, the motive behind moving that No. 14 overall pick would largely be to shed the somewhat cumbersome contract of Kenneth Faried. Faried has purportedly been on the trade block for what feels like forever, so in some ways this comes as little surprise.

Then again, considering that he only has one year remaining on his contract, unless the Nuggets have some big-time tricks up their sleeves for which they need the cap space, I find it a little odd that they’re willing to part with a valuable first-round pick to shed an expiring contract. If they have big free agency plans, it makes sense. If not, well, let’s just hope that they know what they’re doing.

Or that the Jazz can take advantage.

Truth be told, based on recent track record, if I’m the Denver Nuggets I’m probably not even picking up the phone when I see Dennis Lindsey on caller ID. But if a guy that Utah really likes is available at No. 14, but won’t be by the time Utah selects (much like was the case with Donovan Mitchell last year), then this could be an intriguing opportunity for them.

Then again, there’s a reason why the Nuggets want to dump Faried, and that aspect alone may be enough to scare Utah away. I was a fan of Faried early in his career, as were the Nuggets based on the hefty contract they doled out to him, but in recent seasons he’s taken a big step backwards.

Faried’s best season came in 2013-14 where he appeared in 80 games and averaged 13.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Unfortunately, he has steadily declined from there, hitting near rock bottom this past season when he was buried in Denver’s rotation. Faried played in just 32 games, averaging 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in just 14.4 minutes per contest.

Not to mention, Utah likely isn’t in a spot to take on Faried’s contract anyway. If it was a certainty that Derrick Favors was going to part ways with the Jazz, perhaps Faried could be taken on as a one-year stopgap that Utah could shed in 2019. However, both Favors and the Jazz have expressed interest in remaining together.

If the Jazz keep Favors, there’s almost no way that they would have the cap space to take on Faried, unless they were to waive their guys on team options, trade Alec Burks, let Dante Exum go, etc. Nearly all those things are either implausible or unwise.

If the Jazz feel they’re going to lose out on Favors, then it could make slightly more sense to take on Faried’s salary. At one point, he was viewed as a relentless hustle guy that would give you post scoring, defense, rebounding and several intangibles. Perhaps being worked into Utah’s system and undergoing Trey Lyles’ dreaded three-hour practices could help whip him into shape and make him a serviceable ‘junkyard dog’ type prospect for the Jazz of the Jae Crowder ilk.

That’s a lot of ‘what-ifs’ and ‘maybes’ though, that I think Utah will likely stay away from. The 14th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft could be a nice prize for the Jazz to target, however, taking on Faried’s contract may be too tough a pill to swallow. That’s especially true if Utah retains both Derrick Favors and Dante Exum, which appear to be priorities this offseason.

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So between Denver likely being hesitant to do business with the Jazz after being burned twice in a row and the fact that Utah probably won’t have much interest in taking on Faried’s contract, the chances of seeing ‘Jazz Fleece the Nuggets Episode III’ are probably pretty slim.

Still, there’s no denying Dennis Lindsey’s craftiness, and the fact that the Nuggets are even open to moving their lottery pick should be enough to pique some interest. It would take some next-level wizardry to pull off some sort of three-team trade that landed the Jazz the No. 14 pick while sending Faried’s contract elsewhere (who’s taking on that salary without receiving a lottery pick? Interest in Alec Burks, anyone?), but if anyone could conjure up such an act, my money would be on Lindsey.

The 2018 NBA Draft undoubtedly figures to be an exciting time for the Utah Jazz as they look to add yet another difference-maker to their ranks be it at the No. 21 spot or by making a trade to move up in the draft. Regardless of what ultimately happens, keeping a close eye on how Denver handles their 2018 lottery pick will be absolutely thrilling.