We are entering the NBA dead zone. While some minor free agent deals get done, the majority of big NBA news this offseason is over with. The Nuggets finalized their trade with the Houston Rockets centered around Ty Lawson, and now we'll wait to see what final roster moves they make.
While decisions are being made by ownership and the front office, the Nuggets youngsters are still putting in work. Check out Gary Harris aka Garris and Erick Green at Red Rocks:
What a beautiful spot for a morning workout! #Nuggets pic.twitter.com/1afoQXgZDL
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) July 21, 2015
And while those guys are working, Nuggets President Josh Kroenke talked with former Nuggets beat writer and current Yahoo! Sports hoops ace Marc Spears about the Lawson trade:
“We did our best to try to help Ty. I’m excited to see he is embracing 1st step of the process to get better” Nuggets prez Josh Kroenke to Y
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 21, 2015
“I hope this is a good thing for Ty the person. There is no guarantees. Sometimes you need to hear it from a different person” Kroenke to Y.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 21, 2015
“With Jameer & Emmanuel were excited about the future. We’re excited to turn the page & move on even if the (trade) value wasn’t equal” – JK
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 21, 2015
“There wasn’t a lot of teams (interested). Houston was in a position where it could put them over the top. We’re fully aware of that,” – JK
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 21, 2015
More from Nuggets president Josh Kroenke about the trade of troubled yet talented guard Ty Lawson to the Rockets later in Yahoo Sports.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 21, 2015
Kroenke admits the trade value for Lawson wasn't up to snuff, but that the team was ready to turn the page. It was a tough decision. The team could have hung onto Lawson, let that cloud sit over them until the situation was resolved, and tried to play Lawson … but what would that have looked like? Maybe it would have turned into an Andre Miller situation where you have the player on the team, but sitting at home.
While it would have been nice to see a draft day deal, it takes two to tango in the NBA, and nobody knows what went down behind the scenes in the Denver War Room. Did the Nuggets ask too much for Lawson? Did teams get cold feet at the proposition of taking on a player with off-court issues? The only real way Denver could have maximized value would have been dealing Lawson before his first 2015 DUI or sometime right after; while the season was still going. But the reality is, Lawson is now in Houston, and the Nuggets – with little to show for his departure besides more salary flexibility, a likely late first round pick, and a prospect or two – will move forward.
We'll see what moves the front office makes to shore up the roster ahead of training camp. The Nuggets still need to make decisions on Erick Green, Kostas Papanikolaou, Ian Clark, and Darrell Arthur. Could bigger moves be on the way? We'll see.
