Report: Lawson agrees to make final year of contract non-guaranteed in move to Rockets
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The Denver Nuggets have traded Ty Lawson and a 2017 second-round pick to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson, Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, a protected 2016 first-round pick, and cash considerations, the team announced Monday, making Sunday's reported deal official.
Prigioni was waived by the Nuggets following the trade, while Lawson reportedly agreed to make the final year of his contract non-guaranteed as part of the deal.
One more tidbit: Sources say Lawson has agreed as condition of trade to make the final year of his contract -- 2016-17 -- non-guaranteed.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 20, 2015
Lawson has two years left on his contract worth roughly $27 million, with Houston now having the power to cut ties with the 27-year-old point guard in 2016-17 if they so choose.
He's currently serving a 30-day sentence in an alcohol rehabilitation center after being arrested for driving under the influence for the second time in under a year early Tuesday morning.
This move looks even better for the Rockets, who can use next season to see if Lawson can get his act together, then make a decision at the end of the year on whether he's worth keeping around for another stint.
None of the players Houston sent to the Mile High City as part of their package were valuable contributors during the team's postseason run to the Western Conference Finals, with Prigioni being the only one to average double-digit minutes.
This trade sets off the Emmanuel Mudiay era in Denver, who the Nuggets drafted with their No. 7 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Lawson is one of only three players (John Wall, Chris Paul) to average at least 16 points and eight assists over the last four seasons. He finished his 2014-15 campaign averaging a near double-double of 15.2 points and 9.6 assists in 75 games for Denver.