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What would happen if the Denver Nuggets actually decided to trade Kenneth Faried?

Folks at the Pepsi Center might revolt, as he's become such a fan favorite there thanks to his contagious personality, non-stop hustle, high-flying dunks and dreadlocks. However, it's still a possibility.

NBA.com's David Aldridge reports that a trade could indeed happen:

There's been a lot of smoke around the league that Denver's made Faried available in trade talk. The Nuggets, of course, deny it, which means it's likely true. ... The Nuggets have been unhappy with Faried's defense this season, and aren't inclined at the moment to give him a huge deal. They've already got $79 million committed the next two seasons to Lawson, JaVale McGee and Danilo Gallinari.

Because the undersized big man is eligible for a contract extension at the end of the 2013-14 season, the Nuggets don't have much time to make their decision. They can either sign him to a lengthy deal or let him play out his contract and become a restricted free agent in 2015.

If they're not going to pay him, they may as well trade him now. Right?

But what could they get for a power forward who has taken a step back this year?

Faried is averaging only 10.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, failing to make any sort of leap during his third season out of Morehead State. During late November, head coach Brian Shaw told Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, "I think early on in the season he wanted to prove to everybody that he expanded his game."

Unfortunately, that's no longer working.

Even though he's only 24 years old and still on his rookie contract, he's already developed into a bit of a known commodity.

And that makes it hard to find reasonable trades that center around him. Nevertheless, we soldier on.