NBA Trade Rumors: Is Ty Lawson A Smart Get For Pistons?

The Detroit Pistons have had a roller coaster season so far to say the least. After starting off 5-23, coach Stan Van Gundy‘s Pistons seemed to have turned a corner after releasing forward Josh Smith and inserted themselves right back into the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.

Big men Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe were co-existing, the shooters were actually hitting hitting shots at a high percentage and point guard Brandon Jennings was playing arguably the best basketball of his career since Smith was off the team.

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Then things took an unexpected turn for the absolute worst, with Jennings being sidelined due to a ruptured Achilles. Jennings is now out for the season, leaving the floor general duties to backup point D.J. Augustin.

Now Augustin has been a more-than-serviceable point guard over this stretch that Jennings has been absent. Since Jennings went down, Augustin is averaging 20.1 points and 8.4 assists per game, numbers that if sustained over the course of an entire season would scream All-Star and potential All-NBA status.

However, Augustin is a veteran in this league, and even though he has been playing out of his mind, one would figure that he will come crashing back to Earth at some point, as he has not shown this kind of production over a long period of time during his career.

Feb 10, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Detroit Pistons guard D.J. Augustin (14) defends Charlotte Hornets guard P.J. Hairston (19) (left) from driving down the court during the first half of the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /

So if Augustin isn’t a long-term answer to take over the starting spot, then who is?

Well, Bleacher Report’s Brian Mazique has speculated that the Pistons may try to target Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson as a potential replacement, in the short and long term.

Mazique’s speculation comes from a report made by Yahoo Sports’ Marc J. Spears that suggests that the Pistons are shopping for more point guard depth.

With all of that being said, does this kind of move really make sense for both the Pistons and Lawson?

For Lawson, he would certainly be coming to play for a team that has a much better chance of making it into the playoffs than the Nuggets, who seem destined to be heading for the 2015 lottery. Not only that, but playing for Van Gundy could work to his advantage because the Pistons would really capitalize on Lawson’s strengths as a point guard.

Lawson has breathtaking quickness, as it seems he is able to navigate to any spot he wants to on the floor whenever he wants. Having this kind of elite athletic ability is definitely a plus, even if he lacks real height as a basketball player.

Lawson also has exceptional strength for how small he is, as he has proven that he can finish at the rim as well as the other great guards the NBA has to offer. However, not only does Lawson have the scoring ability, he has the passing skills to match.

Lawson is great at breaking down the defense with his crazy handle and kicking the ball out to open shooters, similar to what John Wall does with the Washington Wizards. Wall’s first instinct is to get into the lane and look for his teammates on the perimeter for easy shots.

Lawson operates in the same way, meaning that he can be more than just a pick-and-roll playmaker, something else Lawson has had success with, as he and forward Kenneth Faried have become one of the better pick-and-roll tandems in the league.

Detroit has some quality shooters that could take advantage of Lawson’s drive-and-kick game, with Jodie Meeks, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Caron Butler just to name a few.

So if the fit seems to be good for Lawson, why hasn’t anything happened regarding a potential deal?

Well, there are two reasons. One is that the Nuggets haven’t made it known that they are shopping Lawson at all, even though the team is struggling. Lawson is a solid guard in the league, averaging 16.9 points and 10.1 assists per game on the season. Those are quality numbers from a lead guard, and Denver may still feel as if Lawson is a quality player to build around.

The other reason is that Detroit would most likely have to give up something close to a king’s ransom to bring Lawson to the Motor City.

The Pistons could look to dangle Monroe in a trade, as his future in Detroit is still uncertain, but Monroe has actually been playing very well since the Smith release, and is proving that he can be a productive big man in the NBA for years to come.

If the Pistons could re-sign Monroe and make the “twin towers” concept work with Drummond, getting enough floor spacing from the other guards and forwards, then the Pistons could transform into a scary team down the road.

The other problem is what would happen to Jennings? Neither Jennings nor Lawson are exactly on expiring contracts, and with the way Jennings was playing before he got hurt, there is little chance that he would take on a backup role to Lawson next season.

The trade works in theory because Lawson is the kind of guard that Van Gundy wants in his system, but there are just too many questions surrounding the other potential assets in the deal.

Do I think this deal ever gets done? No I don’t. I like the speculation and what Lawson could do for the Pistons, as he could be the player to push them into the eighth seed in the East, but I don’t think they should give up a lot to get a player that is so similar to someone that they already have on the roster, even if he’s out for the year.

Going after a cheaper point guard would be a better move for Detroit if they really want to remain competitive, or they could tank out the rest of the year and fight for a nice draft pick in order to acquire some more talent that could really help the team down the road.

There will certainly be decisions made over the coming weeks in Detroit regarding the point guard position, but don’t expect Lawson to end up in a Pistons uniform.

*Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.

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NBA Trade Rumors: Is Ty Lawson a Smart Target For Detroit Pistons?

By Nathan Grubel | Feb 11, 2015

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