The Denver Nuggets could make a big move this summer, as reports indicate the team in interested in trading power forward Kenneth Faried in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2014 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft, a league source reported on Tuesday.

Grantland.com veteran writer Zach Lowe reported the Nuggets offered Faried to a "handful" of teams, but they were asking for a precious first-round pick in return, in a draft class loaded with potential future superstars such as Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and Dante Exum.

According to Lowe, the urgency of trading Faried stemmed from the fear of seeing the athletic power forward walk away without compensation when he becomes a restricted free agent in the summer of 2015. The Nuggets believe Faried might demand an eight-figure salary, which they may not be able to grant given their status as a small-market franchise and their commitment to retaining point guard Ty Lawson and small forward Danilo Gallinari.

"The results have been, frankly, kind of stunning, and present the Nuggets with a dilemma they likely didn't expect six months ago, when they asked a targeted handful of teams whether they might be interested in acquiring Faried in exchange for a 2014 first-round pick or quality wing player on a rookie deal, per sources around the league," Lowe wrote.

Faried is averaging 13.3 points and 8.2 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game this season. Compared to his minutes through his first two seasons, the "Manimal's" playing time has been erratic this year, though the power forward has dramatically improved his low-post game this past couple of months.

Then again, the Nuggets are expected to upgrade at the power forward spot. Faried might have proven to everybody that he's more than an energy player, but many analysts predict he will be moved because there will soon be other, better low-post options available on the free agency market.

The New York Knicks expressed interest in acquiring Faried earlier in the year, willing to part with young shooting guard Iman Shumpert before the trade deadline, but a deal was never materialized. The Nuggets are hoping that teams loaded with tradable assets, such as the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic, might be viable trade partners for the Nuggets as draft night gets closer.