Ty Lawson Interested in Signing with Chinese Team Shanxi

Veteran point guard Ty Lawson may be headed to the Shanxi Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association. 

Lawson announced Tuesday he would be excited to join the organization, as captured by international hoops scribe David Pick: 

Lawson would later send a tweet clarifying his status, "I haven't signed in China!!!!!"

Lawson's agent Larry Fox later elaborated on the state of his client's market, telling HoopsHype:

"Several teams have expressed interest in Ty from China and there have been discussions and Ty has expressed mutual interest. In addition, several NBA teams are interested in Ty, Ty is weighing his options and no decision has yet been made."

Lawson bounced around the NBA over the past couple of years after spending the first six seasons of his career with the Denver Nuggets. He's made stops with the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and, most recently, Sacramento Kings in the last two campaigns.

The 29-year-old North Carolina product is no longer the high-impact player he was during his peak seasons with the Nuggets. He averaged 9.9 points and 4.8 assists across 69 appearances, including 24 starts, for Sacramento last season.

That said, he can still be an effective playmaker on offense when given consistent minutes. He ranked 23rd among qualified point guards in player efficiency rating for the 2016-17 campaign, per ESPN.com. 

Lawson, whose decline featured a series of off-court issues, told Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee in December that accepting a lesser role helped him bounce back.

"Earlier in the season I did think about that," he said. "I think that's why I wasn't as productive. But now I'm like, 'Just go hard, go in there, play my game and get right to it,' instead of worrying about if I'm going to play, when I'm coming out and stuff like that."

The situation also helped the Maryland native find a comfort zone. He expressed interest in sticking with the Kings, even though he only signed a one-year deal, per Wes Goldberg of the Step Back.

"Aw yeah, definitely," Lawson said. "That traveling from team to team is not cool—it's not the wave man—so I'm feeling a good level here and I'm hoping I can stay."

Although Lawson didn't get his wish of staying in Sacramento, joining the Dragons would give him a chance to thrive in a bigger role, even if it comes without the glitz and glam of the Association.

And if Lawson proves capable of thriving in the CBA for prolonged stretches, he could eventually work his way back stateside in a reserve role.