The Denver Nuggets may consider a Ty Lawson trade after taking Emmanuel Mudiay in the NBA draft on Thursday and the Sacramento Kings could be interested in a deal for Lawson and Kenneth Faried, as the team has flirted with a DeMarcus Cousins trade and George Karl reportedly wants his former point guard to join him in Sacramento.
The Nuggets did not think that Mudiay would fall to number seven in the first round, as some scouts and mock drafts had him getting picked in the top five. According to the Denver Post, Mark Kiszla reports that general manager Tim Connolly was "giddy" about getting Mudiay and there is a chance that the arrival of the rookie "could spell trouble" for the veteran. Lawson was spotted on social media saying, "I'm going to Sacramento" after the Mudiay pick, but Connelly chalked that up to "poor judgement" when asked about it.
Either way, Lawson has previously been mentioned in trade rumors dating back to last year and talk heated up about a Lawson deal around the NBA draft. George Karl still remains the head coach in Sacramento and as long as he is there the Kings will be a destination for Lawson. According to CBS Sports, Karl is interested in Lawson and Kenneth Faried if the Kings look at trading DeMarcus Cousins, but right now there is not any movement on a trade for the franchise player.
The Kings are interested in upgrading the point guard position and they could look at a trade for Lawson or go after someone like Rajon Rondo in free agency. Lawson averaged 15 points and nearly 10 assists per game last season for the Nuggets, but he has had some issues with the front office over the past couple years and the team could look at moving him. The CBS Report has Karl interested in Lawson, Wilson Chandler and Faried as trade options, but Denver may not want to trade that group together unless they were getting Cousins.
Mudiay did not have the hype of D'Angelo Russell coming into the draft, but some mocks had him going as high as fourth to the Knicks. Mudiay is considered a strong athlete and he has good size at 6-foot-5 and comes in after playing in China last year. Mudiay has similar size to John Wall and he is considered an above average defender for his position. Mudiay needs some polish on his shooting, but he is an athletic player and could be a playmaker for the Nuggets if they move Lawson.