Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 3:03pm

HOUSTON LANDS LAWSON IN 5-PLAYER SWAP

The Houston Rockets acquired point guard Ty Lawson and a 2nd-round draft pick in 2017 from the Denver Nuggets for combo guard Nick Johnson, combo forward Kostas Papanikolaou, power forward-center Joey Dorsey, point guard Pablo Prigioni, a lottery-protected 1st-round draft pick in 2016, and cash.

What does it give the Houston Rockets
After getting to the West Finals this year, the Rockets seem determined to make it to the Finals. If Lawson plays to his talent level, the Rockets are a serious title contender. If he doesn't they may be stuck with him for the next two seasons. Adding Lawson is a risky move since his list of off-court troubles is long, and it's unclear whether he'll hurt Houston's locker room chemistry. That said, Lawson is an above-average starting NBA point guard when focused and on his game, so he'll be an upgrade to defense-first Patrick Beverley (who likely shifts to backup status).

What does it give the Denver Nuggets
Denver's rebuild continues. By moving Lawson the Nuggets get rid of a hefty contract and a player who caused significant off-court headaches. They also land a first-round pick in the next NBA Draft, and get a potential future starter in athletic combo guard Johnson. Papanikolaou too should help the rebuild, but Prigioni is expected to be let go and Dorsey isn't likely to be much of a rotation factor even if he's kept around. Johnson is the only one of the four with a contract that lasts more than one season, so this move also gives Denver significant financial flexibility moving forward.

Fantasy impact
Lawson gets a fantasy downgrade here, since he moves from a team (Denver) on which he'd normally dominate the ball, to a team (Houston) where he's probably third in line for shots (behind James Harden and Dwight Howard). That said, Harden and Howard probably both lose a few shots to Lawson, too. On the Nuggets, Lawson's shot attempts will be picked up by a combination of vet point guard Jameer Nelson and rookie combo guard Emmanuel Mudiay. Nelson and Mudiay both should see solid increases in fantasy value as a result. Meanwhile none of the quartet of Johnson, Papanikolaou, Dorsey, and Prigioni will probably be in line for increased playing time as a result of this trade, so all four should be ignored in '15-16 drafts.