Things have gone bad and taken a wrong direction for the Denver Nuggets over the last two seasons, which is causing Ty Lawson to have second doubts about staying with the team, hoping that the interest in him from the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks is more than just small talk.
Lawson averaged 15.2 points per game, his lowest scoring average since his second season in the league, but he has improved his assists number to 9.6. He continues his decline in shooting from close and far away, and even his free throw shooting took a small dive to 73%, but players weren’t exactly happy in Denver, not until Brian Shaw got fired.
Lawson is signed until the 2016-2017 season, making $12.4 million next season and $13.2 million on the last year of his contract, but from a player who seemed to be untouchable, aka a franchise player for the Nuggets, he is now probably hoping for some sort of release from a team that is stuck in rebuilding hell, with no accurate direction or intention as of now, failing in its mini coup, ousting George Karl and everyone who helped make them an automatic playoff team in the previous decade.
Playing for Karl is an option. The Kings have been mentioned as an option for Lawson more than once, and they weren’t exactly happy with their point guard play (Darren Collison) last season. But do they have the assets to move Lawson? They do have the cap space to take his contract and not breach the cap space, but they’ll probably try and get rid of some players, not to mention the Nuggets hoping to get something out of that deal, probably draft picks.
The Mavericks have a point guard question or two as well after the debacle with Rajon Rondo. They have plenty of cap space, but maybe not assets to make the trade, unless Monta Ellis becomes involved. Ellis has a player option so it’s unclear whether he’ll opt in or not. However, the Mavericks haven’t always been happy with his play, and it takes a specific kind of point guard to co-exist with him. Lawson might not be it, but he might be better for the team overall.
Whether or not the Nuggets find that kind of trade suitable is a different question. Obviously, teams go after free agents first, but perhaps, if the Nuggets make it clear that they intend to really begin rebuilding by moving from all those players that belong to a different period with the team, a trade for Lawson is something that might happen very soon in the upcoming offseason.