Denver Nuggets power forward Kenneth Faried and Miami Heat small forward Luol Deng are continuously being mentioned in trade rumors, but it remains to be seen whether or not both stars will be dealt.

According to Basketball Insiders, Faried is being linked to a move out of Denver, especially after the Nuggets traded starting point guard Ty Lawson to the Houston Rockets.

Both Faried and Lawson were reportedly on trading block and the Nuggets are determined to move them this offseason. But after the Nuggets named Mike Malone as their new head coach, there is a growing speculation that Faried will likely stay in Denver at least for the early part of the upcoming season.

According to the report, Nuggets executives want to see if Malone will be able to manage Faried similar to how the veteran coach handled DeMarcus Cousins during his coaching stint with the Sacramento Kings.

Their front office are also curious if Faried will work well with rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who was picked seventh overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, and budding center Jusuf Nurkic.

These are the reasons why the Nuggets will turn down proposals for Faried before the start of the season. But if the 25-year-old power forward continues to show undesirable behavior, the Nuggets will eventually part ways with Faried before the trade deadline in February.

"If Faried continues to be a malcontent, express unhappiness and not buy into the program, it's not out of the question he gets moved," Basketball Insiders wrote. "It just seems highly unlikely that a move is going to happen before games are played."

Faried, who spent his first four years in the league with the Nuggets, averaged 12.6 points on 50.7 percent shooting from the field and 8.9 rebounds per game last season.

On the other hand, Deng will likely change uniforms midway through the 2015-16 NBA season.

Deng, who will be playing in the final year of his contract with the Heat, is expected to start the season in Miami, but could be dealt before the trade deadline especially if rookie Justise Winslow makes immediate impact for the team.

Deng, who averaged 14.0 points on top of 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last season with the Heat, is scheduled to earn $10.15 million in the upcoming season.

If the Heat fail to show potential of having a deep playoff run, Basketball Insiders indicated that Miami will likely move the veteran forward for tax reasons.

Related