Multiple Denver Nuggets players prefer trade over rebuild

Ty Lawson’s time in Denver seems like it may be coming to an inevitable end, but another player may want out with him. According to a report, both Lawson and Kenneth Faried don’t seem to be up to a rebuild with the Nuggets and would prefer a trade if things don’t go the way they want this offseason.

Sources close to the process say Lawson and Faried have kept no secret of their discontent and unless the Nuggets can pull off something major on the coaching front or make a significant trade, both have indicated they’d rather see a trade instead of sticking around for a long rebuild.

A couple of issues here; if the Nuggets were to make any trades of real significance to improve the roster, it wont likely be done without Faried or Lawson being included in any hypothetical deal. Lawson and Faried are easily the Nuggets most tradable assets aside from their seventh overall pick, but no team is trading a superstar for that spot in the draft. Also, trading any other assets on the roster such as the likes of Randy Foye or Wilson Chandler isn’t going to land the Nuggets anymore of a player than what they give up.

Secondly, it’s hard to say what Faried and Lawson would want for the next Nuggets coach. They both seemed to get along with interim Coach Melvin Hunt, but retaining Hunt doesn’t exactly scream “splash”. As for the other candidates, its not apparent that there is really a name available that is going to turn the Nuggets into perennial contenders with the way the roster is currently constructed.

Lawson’s discontent with the Nuggets has been clear for a while now, but i’m not certain that Faried, only entering his fifth season and coming off a down year, is in a place where he should be demanding trades. That said, with the draft approaching in a few weeks, the Nuggets may want to jumpstart their rebuild by moving Lawson and/or Faried, rather than trying to continue to appease players that clearly don’t want to be here.