Nets waive Faried, expected to sign with Rockets

The Brooklyn Nets have waived Kenneth Faried for the final year of the veteran power forward's contract, the team announced Saturday.

Upon clearing waivers, Faried is expected to sign with the Houston Rockets and will immediately see significant playing time for the injury-battered squad, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports, citing sources.

Faried's deal with the Rockets would be for the remainder of the season at the veteran's minimum salary, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania.

The Nets acquired Faried from the Denver Nuggets in an offseason trade that largely amounted to a dump of his remaining $13.8-million salary. Despite his considerable cap hit, the 29-year-old has been relegated to the end of the bench; in 12 appearances with the Nets, Faried has averaged fewer than 10 minutes of playing time.

It wasn't long ago the springy frontcourt player was posting near-double-double averages as an NBA starter. Faried tallied 11.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game through his first seven seasons, all with the Nuggets.

Houston is staring at a four-to-six week absence for starting center Clint Capela, who underwent surgery Thursday to repair a torn ligament in his thumb.

The Rockets must clear a roster spot in order to sign Faried. They are expected to move on from veteran forward Carmelo Anthony, who has been away from the team since November while technically remaining on the roster, before the Feb. 7 trade deadline.