It was only a few years ago that Ty Lawson was one of the most promising up-and-coming point guards in the NBA. In Denver, he was a borderline All-Star level player at times, particularly during the Nuggets’ 57-win 2012-13 season. But off-court issues, including two separate DUI arrests in 2015, derailed his career, and he was mostly awful in Houston and Indiana last season. Now, he’s getting another shot to get his NBA career back on track in Sacramento, as The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Free agent guard Ty Lawson has agreed on a one-year deal with Sacramento, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 29, 2016
At this point, Lawson was going to take any NBA opportunity he could get — although, the Pelicans were reportedly going to talk with Lawson later this week before the Kings offered him a deal, according to Woj — and Sacramento badly need point-guard depth with Rajon Rondo gone in free agency and Darren Collison facing two domestic-violence charges. But for someone looking to rehabilitate their career after falling out of the rotation on two different teams last season, an organization as shaky as the Kings isn’t the ideal place to go.
One potential positive for the fit: new Kings coach Dave Joerger has plenty of experience coaching so-called “difficult” personalities in Memphis, including Zach Randolph, Matt Barnes and Lance Stephenson. Stephenson in particular was solid the second half of last year after a terrible season-plus split between the Hornets and Clippers. Maybe Lawson is in line for a similar career renaissance. He’s certainly got the talent.
