Over the past few years, the Minnesota Timberwolves are a rebuilding team. But entering the 2016-2017 NBA season, they are ready to contend for a playoff spot in the West.
With 2016 NBA Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns and 2015 NBA Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins leading the way, the Wolves have a legitimate chance to compete for a playoff spot. They now also have veteran coach Tom Thibodeau.
However, after the future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett retired from the NBA last offseason, the Timberwolves is looking for an athletic and energetic big man who could help Towns manned up the low post. And rumors say that Kenneth Faried is the one that the Timberwolves is looking for.
According to Sportsrageous, if the Timberwolves wants Faried, they could trade the 5th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft Kris Dunn. This is because the Denver Nuggets needs a good point guard. If Nuggets would give up one of their best players in Faried, they might as well get a young and talent point guard like Kris Dunn in return.
Drafted as the 22nd overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in the 2011 NBA Draft, Kenneth Faried is known as an energy guy. A player with great rebounding skills and athleticism. During his 5 years with the Nuggets, he average 12.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 348 NBA regular season games, per wikipedia.
His length and defensive skills is just what the Timberwolves is looking for. Now that The Big Ticket is out of the picture for the Timberwolves because he already retired last offseason, Faried could be the guy to team up with Karl-Anthony Towns in the Wolves' frontcourt. Having a great offensive player in Towns and a defensive player like Faried commanding the paint, their frontcourt tandem could be one of the best in the NBA.
According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, new Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau is a fan of Faried. Thibodeau is part of the coaching staff when Faried played for USA in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
If this deal would happen, Thibodeau and Faried will unite again. Aside from that, getting Kenneth Faried would increase the Minnesota Timberwolves chance of reaching a playoff spot this 2016-2017 NBA season.
