NBA AM: Setting Kenneth Faried’s Market Value

Faried stock rises, but is he worth the max?

If the summer of 2014 taught you anything about the modern day economics of the NBA, it’s that teams are willing to go beyond preconceived market values in order to bring in free agents who fit their program. Earlier this summer the Dallas Mavericks signed forward Chandler Parsons to a three-year, $46 million deal. The Utah Jazz retained Gordon Hayward by agreeing to a four-year, $63 million pact.

Hayward and Parsons both show upside, even if they aren’t considered franchise players, but their respective contracts were a bit surprising. Others players in the market who have higher upside, such as Greg Monroe or Eric Bledsoe, didn’t get the lucrative payday they were seeking. In free agency it all boils down to which teams have the money to spend and present a fit.

One player to keep an eye on over the coming months is Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried. The three-year veteran is set to earn $2.2 million this season, but is also eligible to sign an early contract extension. If Faried and the Nuggets can’t come to terms by the early extension deadline, October 31,  the emerging forward will head into next summer as a restricted free agent. Denver would be able to match any offer in this scenario, but a team could come calling with an deal similar to Hayward’s without regard to perceived market values.

Faried is currently starring for Team USA in Spain during the 2014 FIBA World Cup. The forward has exploded into one of the team’s most productive players and continues to earn respect. But how will the success on the international stage translate in the long run toward Faried’s bottom line?

On the plus side, Faried is known to be a guy to bring his hard hat to work every morning. His high work ethic and energy can be counted on nightly. Faried is the prototypical workhorse. However, on the flip side, Faried doesn’t have an overpowering offensive arsenal and workhorses  don’t usually get near max level money.

So what is Faried’s market value around the league? Some believe Faried should test the free agency market next summer if Denver doesn’t offer the right deal upfront.

“Unless the Nuggets put up the kind of number Kenneth has in mind, I would probably advise him to wait it out,” an agent told Sean Deveney of Sporting News. “There’s risk with that approach, because you don’t know what is going to happen in the organization and what can change, and you can be stuck in restricted free agency, like [Greg] Monroe is for example. But it is an important contract, obviously, in his life and so he has got to make sure he gets what he is worth. I would not be surprised if the Nuggets want to see him play out a season before they commit that much to him.”

According to Deveney’s report, one general manager slotted Faried’s worth “in the Paul Millsap or Taj Gibson range” but the forward’s development over the last few months led them to increase the valuation to an “Al Jefferson kind of deal, maybe more.”

Millsap is on Atlanta’s books for $9.5 million, while Gibson will earn $8 million in Chicago. Jefferson will earn $13.5 million in Charlotte as the unquestioned leader of the Hornets.

Faried is a fan favorite, continues to develop his offensive game and is a decent defender. But what is his ceiling and is he near it or just merely scratching the surface?

One thing is for certain, Faried is now on the mainstream stage performing at a high level, which is always good for the bottom line.

Hawks GM Danny Ferry’s Racially Insensitive Remarks on Luol Deng (Audio)

Atlanta Hawks president of basketball operations and general manager Danny Ferry has come under fire recently for racially insensitive remarks geared toward former All-Star forward Luol Deng during free agency discussions within the organization.

The Hawks have maintained the messaging  that Ferry was reading from a scouting report prepared by a third party and the inappropriate message were not words of his own.

You be the judge. The audio can be found here