Houston Rockets Acquire Ty Lawson from Denver Nuggets

The Houston Rockets took a big step towards putting themselves in the first line of contenders for the National Basteball Association crown, trading for Ty Lawson of the Denver Nuggets, which might be real game changes in the Western conference if Lawson is able to clean himself up and bounce back from his legal and drinking issues.

The Rockets will send second-year guard Nick Johnson, forward Kostas Papanikolaou, guard Pablo Prigioni and center Joey Dorsey, along with a protected first-round pick to get Lawson. The Nuggets may not get as much in return as they might have before Lawson was arrested. Perhaps this incident expedited the Nuggets desire to move the discontented point guard.

Ty Lawson was finally traded, but not to the Kings. It also remains to be seen if they will re-sign free agent point guard Jason Terry as well. The market for Lawson has been nearly non-existent since he had another problem with the law.

According to the league source, the Houston sources without surrendering any anyone in their playoff rotation have struck a deal to acquire Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson. Simply going to a facility isn’t going to get that job done, but perhaps the reality of being close to losing his career will sober him up a bit. He also excels at slashing to the rim and kicking it out, meaning he can give his Rocket teammates open looks throughout the season. Johnson had yet to prove he would be a factor though he likely represents the best player in the trade from the Rockets side. However, a risk is involved in this deal as Lawson has not been in the right mind in his off-court activities. Mudiay is expected to start for the Nuggets next season with veteran playmaker Jameer Nelson as his backup.

The Pistons on the other hand could be preparing for a Brandon Jennings departure once a suitor shows interest. The lefty has work to do on his perimeter shot, but shooting is a skill that young players can develop.