The Denver Nuggets are shopping point guard Ty Lawson, and Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw wants Indiana Pacers point guard George Hill, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard. Broussard also says the Los Angeles Lakers have interest in Lawson.
Nuggets trying to trade Ty Lawson, according to report
The Nuggets may include their best player in a potential fire sale.
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
There had been some rumors that Lawson would be available at the right price, although the latest reports had Denver rebuffing any trade suitors for the 27-year-old point guard.
However, the Nuggets may be changing their outlook on Lawson as they look to shake up an underachieving roster. Denver has made several trades already this season, and both Wilson Chandler and Arron Afflalo are popular names on the trade block.
Lawson has been productive this season despite the Nuggets' struggles, averaging 16.9 points and 10.1 assists. The 10.1 assists per game puts Lawson neck-and-neck with John Wall for the league lead.
Lawson is Denver’s best player, and although a fire sale may be imminent, would it really be the smart play to give him up as well?
Why Nuggets will trade Lawson
The atmosphere in Denver has been toxic this season. The Nuggets are 20-33, and there have been a host of embarrassing losses, which has led to Shaw questioning the team’s effort and reading books about how to better connect with his players.
It doesn’t appear like Nuggets management is willing to give up on Shaw less than two years into his tenure, so they may just try and shake up the roster in a big way. While Lawson is the team’s best player, he has had some off-court issues that could be troubling the organization. Shaw has prior experience with Hill from his days in Indiana, so that interest at least makes a shred of sense.
Denver may also feel that the team can’t reach the next level with Lawson at point guard. While he’s a good player, he’s undersized and that can often be a hindrance on the defensive end.
Why Nuggets won’t trade Lawson
Again, Lawson is the Nuggets’ best player, and he’s just 27 years old on an affordable contract. He has two years and about $25.6 million left on his deal, which isn’t bad for a player who’s arguably a top 10 point guard, a loaded position. Hill is a nice player and is in the first year of a three-year, $24 million deal, but he’s 28 years old and simply isn’t as good as Lawson. And even if Hill wasn’t the replacement, it would be tough to find somebody as good as Lawson.
Even if Denver wants to rebuild, it can do it with Lawson at the helm. He has been the leader of successful teams before, and there’s little reason he can’t do it again with a better roster. This would be a panic move unless the offer couldn’t be refused.
Likelihood of Nuggets trading Lawson
It still seems far-fetched that Denver will trade Lawson, but this rumor at least makes the possibility a bit more real. I’ll give a Lawson trade a 3/10 chance of happening.
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