For the Denver Nuggets, trading Ty Lawson was a move that could easily be justified both on and off the court.
Lawson's troubles with alcohol played a big role, but the selection of Emmanuel Mudiay with the seventh pick in the 2015 draft also may have factored in heavily to the deal with the Houston Rockets.
Here's more from Gerald Bourguet at Hoops Habit:
"Still, the biggest thing gained from the Lawson deal is being able to fully turn over the franchise to rookie Emmanuel Mudiay, who will undoubtedly be named the starter from Day 1 and won’t have to worry about a potentially negative influence. Jameer Nelson should be a good mentor for Mudiay and now the rebuilding process can truly begin.
This deal makes Denver a worse basketball team for 2015-16, but trading Lawson was necessary for this team to move forward and with a potential superstar like Mudiay waiting in the wings, Connelly accomplished his biggest task of the summer — and got a pretty decent return out of it."
(h/t Hoops Habit)
