Ty Lawson makes final year of his contract non-guaranteed as condition of trade to Rockets
Ty Lawson appeared to be headed out of Denver via trade this summer, once the Nuggets selected a stellar point guard prospect in Emmanuel Mudiay with the seventh overall pick in the NBA Draft.
But despite Lawson's above average skill set, his value plummeted after being arrested and charged with DUI for the second time in the last seven months. So in order for him to get a fresh start with the Houston Rockets, he needed to agree to make the final year of his contract worth more than $13.2 million non-guaranteed for the 2016-17 season.
Zach Lowe of Grantland:
This may seem like a bold move on the surface, and it is to a certain extent. There's always the possibility of injury, and a serious one could significantly impact Lawson's ability to earn that type of money on a contract in the future.
But because of the fact that the salary cap will spike in excess of 30 percent in advance of the final year of his deal, the risk is mitigated to a certain extent.
If Lawson can get his personal life in order and play at a high level in Houston, then the Rockets can keep him at the salary that's already in place. If Houston decides to part ways with him after the upcoming season, the team can simply waive him without penalty, thus making the move relatively risk-free from the standpoint of the Rockets.
But if that were to happen, Lawson would be entering the free agent market at the best possible time, when literally all 30 teams will have an excessive amount of money to spend. As long as he can put his maturity issues behind him, the change of scenery should work out well, even if his time in Houston ends up only being a one-year stay.
(h/t: Zach Lowe on Twitter)
Photo Credit: David Richard/USA TODAY Sports
