Emmanuel Mudiay's Arrival Expedites Ty Lawson's Departure from Denver Nuggets

By the numbers, Ty Lawson was pretty good last season. He added a career-high 9.6 assists to his respectable 15.2 points per contest. He made 34.1 percent of his three-point attempts, and he didn't completely implode amid a 30-win season.

The one thing he didn't do was lock up his job as the franchise's starting point guard, evidenced in part by Denver's decision to select the versatile Emmanuel Mudiay with the No. 7 overall pick in last month's draft. While new head coach Mike Malone seems to believe the two are compatible in the backcourt, as he indicated in an interview with Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher, the Nuggets front office may have different ideas.

Meanwhile, a growing chorus of concerned NBA citizens is lobbying for the organization to trade Lawson in a bid to start this rebuilding process virtually from scratch. 

Most recently, that chorus has included former Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups, who shared his thoughts candidly with Denver's 104.3 The Fan (via NBCSports' Kurt Helin):

"

I mean, well, one, Ty, he has not demonstrated what you want from the leader of your team and a guy who they've handed the keys to. He's not demonstrated the kind of leadership that you want. And you have a young kid named Mudiay coming in who I think has a chance to be a star in this league. Right now the best player on the team is Ty Lawson.

As a young player in the league, you come in 19-20 years old, you oftentimes try to emulate some of the actions on the floor and off the floor of the best player because that's one day what you want to be. So I think just from the standpoint of the welfare of Mudiay and the well-being and the growth of Mudiay, you have to get Ty Lawson and you have to move him along.

"

Billups isn't alone in that belief. Local media have had their say, too.

Even before the organization acquired Mudiay, the Denver Post's Mark Kiszla wrote that, "If the Nuggets truly want a fresh start, and general manager Tim Connelly truly wants to give Malone the best chance to last longer than Brian Shaw on the job, then Lawson needs to be gone from Denver before the first game of Malone's regime."

Those who follow the team closely are instructive on the matter, and the six-year veteran didn't do his image any favors in May. He responded via Instagram to a fan imploring him to play for the Dallas Mavericks, saying simply, "I wish."

Months later, he insists there's no drama. He just wants what everyone else does.

"I just wanna win," Lawson told the Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman in June. "This is the first time I've ever had losing seasons in my life."

Malone has said all the right things, too. He told reporters the following after the draft:

"

Ty Lawson is part of our Denver Nugget family and until that changes, I can't wait to get to work with Ty. I've reached out to him already. He got back to me and, again, people automatically assume when you draft a point guard that means that Ty Lawson has to go.

Ty Lawson's a very talented player. We envision the possibility of playing both him and Emmanuel at times, and they'll be a very tough lineup to defend.

"

So this is one big happy family after all? Not so fast. The organization has good reason to posture as though Lawson could stick around. Any hint of desperation to trade him would hurt the Nuggets' leverage when dealing with other clubs. In terms of messaging, Denver is playing this the right way.

And who knows? Maybe Connelly and Co. are of the belief that Lawson is still salvageable under the right circumstances. The playing ability is still there, so perhaps a change of culture and system is all he needs at this juncture.

Even if Billups is right about Lawson's purported leadership deficit, that may in part be a function of circumstance. Lawson is a 27-year-old who hasn't had the luxury of playing with a wealth of tested veterans.

Whatever's gone on in this locker room, the real problem is that Lawson is 27 years old. While that's still relatively young in NBA terms, it also means Lawson risks spending another two seasons of his prime with a struggling (and rebuilding) operation. That's not the best use of his skills, and it's not the best use of Denver's resources.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Giving Lawson away isn't an attractive scenario, but exchanging him for a young asset or two would make a lot of sense. This team isn't going to compete anytime soon in the ultracrowded Western Conference, so it might as well begin thinking seriously about the long term.

Mudiay is an ideal centerpiece in that respect.

He's an athletic beast with the potential to develop into an oversized Russell Westbrook or John Wall. If his shooting ability catches up to the rest of his skills, Mudiay could emerge as one of the league's elite floor generals. Even if Lawson remains in Denver, Mudiay should develop into one heck of a playmaking combo guard. One way or another, he's set to become this team's leader before too long.

And Lawson may not fit into that equation. He belongs in a complementary role with a better team, a home for veterans looking to capitalize on their best years. He doesn't need to be vying with a rookie for pecking-order privileges—especially if his locker room problems are all they're cracked up to be.

Lawson himself appeared to see the writing on the wall after Denver selected Mudiay.

Such a move wouldn't have been surprising prior to Sacramento's decision to sign free-agent point guard Rajon Rondo. Lawson has ties to current Kings coach (and former Nuggets coach) George Karl, and Karl was reportedly interested in a reunion with his old floor general.

Here's how Bleacher Report's Howard Beck described the situation in February:

"

Sources say Karl would love to acquire Ty Lawson—if the rebuilding Nuggets were to make him available—or any other members of his last Nuggets team, which won 57 games in 2012-13. Karl wants players who move the ball and push the tempo, and that could mean wild upheaval on the Kings roster.

"

That scenario has likely expired with Sacramento's acquisition of Rondo, but it suggests there's still a market for Lawson's services. In the right situation, he could escape some of the headlines that plagued him last season. He could restore his image and just worry about winning.

Unfortunately, that situation may not be in Denver. Unless Malone and his staff are serious about forging chemistry between Lawson and Mudiay, something has to give—and it's not going to be the prized rookie.