It’s no secret that Ty Lawson wants out of Denver, and it seems like a matter of time before the Nuggets grant his wish. The 27-year old has found himself in trouble with the law yet again for another DUI arrest, with the first incident coming back in January.
Lawson was reportedly pulled over at 2 a.m. after leaving a Los Angeles night club resulting in his second charge in seven months. It has been made very public that Lawson has been looking for a way out of Denver, going as far as stating which teams he wished he could move to. Taking to his Instagram account earlier this year, a fan made a comment that Lawson should come and play for the Dallas Mavericks in which he responded, ‘I wish’. Adding fuel to the fire, a video emerged on Twitter of Lawson watching the NBA Draft with friends commenting, ‘They’re gonna get (Emmanuel) Mudiay’. Once the Nuggets chose the young prospect point guard with their pick, Lawson then stated to a friend, ‘Told you I’m going to Sacramento bro’.
With free agency passed, the Kings killed any hope of a George Karl reunion for Lawson with the signing of Rajon Rondo, leading many to speculate what Ty Lawson’s future holds. With the recent DUI reports emerging, Mitch Lawrence of NBC Sports New York has confirmed that the Nuggets are considering waiving Lawson altogether and with $25 million dollars still left on their starting point guards contract, it would likely be in the Nuggets' best interest to shop around for a trade, thus beginning the rebuild process which seems inevitable at this point. One of the most underrated players in the league, Lawson averaged a career-high 9.6 assists per game last season. In fact, only two point guards had more assists last year in Chris Paul and John Wall, who both had playoff caliber talent surrounding them.
With the Nuggets looking ahead with their new point guard in Mudiay, it is likely Lawson is playing elsewhere by opening tip off next season but the question is, where? The two most likely scenarios seemed to be a trade with the previously mentioned Kings or Mavericks but the signings of Rondo and now, Deron Williams for the Mavs, those two squads seem out of the question. With the league being so point guard heavy, it is difficult to pin point a team that is in need of starter who would be willing to trade.
A possible scenario could be a move to the Brooklyn Nets with the package likely involving the addition of an expiring contract from Denver’s side in Danilo Gallinari. In return the Nuggets would receive a player who was highly rumored to be moved this offseason in veteran shooting guard, Joe Johnson.
The Nets are in need of a point guard now that Deron Williams has been bought out and Lawson could be the perfect fit. Brooklyn has publicly stated that they wish to keep Johnson in order to remain competitive next season and having previously traded their first-round draft pick to the Boston Celtics, a losing season would not be beneficial. Despite their stance on Johnson, trading for Lawson would certainly provide a boost to the slim chances Brooklyn has at making the playoffs and the addition of Gallinari would make for a solid line up with Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez down low. The trade would essentially work for both teams as Denver would get an expiring contract in return for Brooklyn getting a competitive core for at least one more season.
Another potential deal would be a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. The package would likely include Lawson for Tony Wroten, power forward Jason Thompson and a future draft pick. With their front court set for the future and tons of draft picks in the bank, the Sixers are in need of some backcourt stability. At the moment, Tony Wroten is the starting point guard in Philly and was putting up some decent numbers before his season-ending injury. The 22-year-old guard averaged 16 points and five assists in 30 games before being sidelined by an ACL tear. Lawson, however, would be a huge upgrade over Wroten on the offensive and defensive end of the floor and would bring some experience to a young squad.
A potential pick-and-roll combination with Nerlens Noel and once healthy, Joel Embiid, would boost the Sixers poor offensive efficiency and also provide Philly with some extra perimeter shooting. Along with Robert Covington and newly acquired Nik Stauskas, Lawson has the ability to knock down the outside shot, something that Wroten has struggled with in his short career, averaging 23 percent from deep thus far.
The Nuggets in return would get a young backup to newly signed veteran Jameer Nelson in Wroten, as well as his expiring contract. Jason Thompson’s low two-year, $14 million dollar salary could also be moved later on or waived by the Nuggets entirely since year two is unguaranteed. Either way the trade works as the Sixers get one of the best point guards in the league, while the Nuggets receive some no risk options in return.
Another possible suitor for Lawson could be the Utah Jazz, as their young roster showed a lot of promise in the stacked Western Conference last season. The trade package would likely include Trey Burke, Trevor Booker and Rodney Hood. With Booker and Hood both expiring contracts and Burke having shown flashes but seemingly not the type of point guard who can take a team to the next level, this trade works for both sides. The Jazz went 38-44 in the West with Burke as the starter, and with the team on the upswing, Lawson is the type of player who could take the Jazz into a low playoff seed. A lineup of Lawson, Alec Burks/Dante Exum, Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert would certainly make a lot of noise next season and Utah could certainly use the nine assists per game that the Nuggets point guard brings in order to compete for the playoffs next season.
In return, Denver would get two expiring contacts, one being a promising young player in Rodney Hood, and a young backup point guard who has a lot of potential, but on a two-year contract, and is low risk.
At this point, teams may wait and see what Denver chooses to do with their star point guard. If Lawson is waived, he may come much cheaper than if acquired through trade, but if there is a suitor interested, it may not be wise to wait. No matter what the case may be, it is almost guaranteed that Ty Lawson will be leaving the Denver Nuggets before next season begins.