The Denver Nuggets may look at a Ty Lawson trade or the release of the point guard this summer, as Lawson was arrested for his second DUI this year and reports say the team could consider waiving Lawson and it comes after the team added Emmanuel Mudiay in the draft and re-signed Jameer Nelson to a free agent contract.
The Nuggets now have three point guards on the roster in Mudiay, Lawson and Nelson and there is a chance that Denver could move on from Lawson this year. Lawson has been solid and productive in his time in Denver, but he has had issues off the court and with the front office and that could lead to his departure. According to Mitch Lawrence of NBC New York, the Nuggets are considering waiving Lawson, but the team likely will try and trade him first.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Lawson's contract is guaranteed and it's likely they will not be able to trade him "without adding a sweetener," which is why the waiving of Lawson is more of a possibility. Lawson is signed for two more years and over $25 million and the team likely would use the stretch provision if they ended up waiving him. PBT writes that the Nuggets could create over $7 million in cap space by stretching the salary of Lawson, but that may not help much now with the market mostly dry of solid free agents.
Yahoo Sports reports that teams showed "little interest" in Lawson before the DUI arrest and that could make a deal harder to pull off. Lawson was rumored to be a target for the Kings and head coach George Karl earlier this offseason, but that was before the team signed Rajon Rondo. Lawson appears to be expendable now, as the Nuggets came to an agreement in free agency with Nelson on a three year deal. The team also picked Mudiay seventh overall and while he may not start, he is expected to get significant minutes as a rookie.
The New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets all could be potential landing spots for Lawson. The Knicks may look at adding another point guard with Jose Calderon's injury history, while the 76ers have been looking at Norris Cole in free agency. The Nets let go of Deron Williams in a buyout and could consider Lawson if he is released. Pro Basketball Talk writes that a team with cap space could be interested in making a deal with the Nuggets and they mention the 76ers as a possibility.
The Nuggets have had some trade interest in Kenneth Faried this offseason, but right now there is no movement on a trade. The Kings reportedly had interest with Karl looking at Lawson and Faried as options to come over after he coached them in Denver, but that never materialized. The team could consider trading Faried if they rebuild this year.
Mudiay has looked good in the summer league and that will help if the Nuggets want to give him work behind Nelson or Lawson if they keep the point guard. The signing of Nelson could be the writing on the wall for Lawson, as Marc Stein reports that deal is worth over $13 million.
Check here for more on Ty Lawson and the possibility of a trade or his release and for more on the interest in Kenneth Faried. Check here for more on Emmanuel Mudiay in the Summer League and more on Jameer Nelson and his contract.
