A trade rumor has surfaced that involves the Nuggets trading Gary Harris and Kenneth Faried to the Lakers in return for Julius Randle and Nick Young.
Despite being someone that has advocated (only partially seriously) for acquiring Nick Young, this is an awful trade. Harris was part of the Team USA Select team. He is a talented young guard. He is nails on defense, and his offensive game is growing.
Faried began to show off chemistry with Mudiay towards the end of the season. He tried so hard on defense, and has such a high ceiling on that end. He's an incredible vertical threat in the pick and roll, using his ability to soar above the defense to vertically stretch the defense. He has great value to the Nuggets.
Making this trade would be a mistake. Randle isn't a starter for the Lakers, a team that won so many games they had the second-worst record in the league last season. Young is a trash player, a chucker with serious off-court issues. He would be more harmful to the Nuggets chemistry than a fork jammed into an electrical socket.
This is worse than a ESPN fake trade proposal. It's never going to happen.
I hope it makes Lakers fans even more sad when they watch the Nuggets sweep them easily this season, with Jamal Murray having great games while Brandon Ingram cries over another serving of chicken parm. Enjoy the basement of the Western Conference.
