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Sacramento Kings: Will a Ty Lawson Trade Ever Happen?

By John von Volkli

Dec 17, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) shoots the ball during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Pepsi Center. The Thunder won 105-93. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) shoots the ball during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Pepsi Center. The Thunder won 105-93. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the 2015 NBA Draft a week away, the Sacramento Kings are one of numerous lottery teams facing the choice of whether or not to draft the best player possible and develop them over the longer term, or to send him away as part of a care package to secure a veteran player or two in the hope of more immediate results. Such fun, such suspense. Such has been the recent history of the Sacramento Kings, with a couple different ownership groups, a few different management teams, and some different head coaches shaping an unsuccessful amalgam of a team.

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Now, facing another middle-range lottery draw, the Kings’ front office will show whether it can pull off something special with one or both moves – the selection, and if seen fit, the subsequent trade. Sacramento has seen good both immediately talented players and underdog performers go by the wayside and onto better things in the last half-decade: while they have kept DeMarcus Cousins (and apparently plan to keep him cemented as long as possible), Hassan Whiteside, Tyreke Evans, Isaiah Thomas are all proving their potential in other markets, with Evans and Thomas gaining a little bit of playoff experience this past season, and Whiteside becoming a comeback phenomenon in Miami.

As the Kings prepare to draft someone they hope will be a serious play-maker, further consolidation of head coach George Karl’s and vice president Vlade Divac‘s vision is at stake. Should the Kings draft someone coveted and unique like a Willie Cauley-Stein (or everyone’s favorite dark Latvian horse, Kristaps Porzingis), they can either hope to ramp him up quickly and incorporate his style into the flow on both ends of the court, or they can hack at the splintered bark of the 2014-2015 roster, and send their pick off as a fresh Duraflame log.

Should the latter option be chosen, it appears that a recent bout of flirtation regarding the pick and Karl’s old Denver acquaintance Ty Lawson is not going anywhere anytime soon. ESPN’s Chad Ford recently muted speculation on a more basic No. 6 for Lawson, cole slaw, and some parsley trade, saying that the Nuggets “can’t get Kings (or anyone else for that matter) to bite on Lawson.”

Though the chemistry between Karl and the veteran point guard would be better than that between Lawson and the Nuggets organization, that’s not enough to catch the sometimes darting eyes of majority owner Vivek Ranadive – and less likely to entice vice president for basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac. This is good news – if the Malone/D’Alessandro dynamic duo (I know, I know) were to really try at re-vamping the team, they may be open to a larger deal which includes packaging Lawson with a better main course like… Kenneth Faried.

Mar 4, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) drives to the basket in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) drives to the basket in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Faried, as documented by Kevin Arnovitz earlier this year, is not only dipping in terms of performance, but in his favorability with the Nuggets altogether. Though he’s come to be one of the few notable players on the Nuggets payroll, the love of the fans is not enough to keep Faried in high regard. During shake-ups involving both head coaches and executives, now may be as likely a time as ever for the pair to head down from Denver’s windy mountaintop to another small market.

Faried’s point contribution per 36 minutes was down a bit in 2014-2015, but his inconsistent performance could be at least partially explained by the crag following former head coach Brian Shaw‘s not-silent departure. Ty Lawson is not the ideal point guard, but he and Faried are Karl veterans, and their talents could be maximized if paired with Karl, his assistants, and DeMarcus Cousins. Bring in younger, developing start-ups like David Stockton, and there may be a brighter future filled with the ‘random basketball’ for which Karl is so well-known.

If the Kings are looking for a productive power forward, they’ve got a tested product in Faried. If they want a point guard who is used to Karl’s cadence and looseness, they’ve got a tested product in Lawson. If they want an unknown professional quantity with a lot of upside potential, they can choose to walk once again down the avenue of investing their lottery winnings in their original pick. This can be exciting, but the downside has been put on display with the Kings before.

This is the team whose luck has garnered such scratch-and-sniff lottery winnings as “Jimmermania,” though. Sacramentans remember that time, and they’d probably rather Fredette about it.

The Kings’ fanbase deserves at least – at least – an entertaining and hopeful product during the regular season, even if the end goal for the next few seasons is eking out an eighth-seed finish and giving the likes of the Warriors, Spurs, and Rockets some trouble. Perhaps working around forcing a lower-priced Denver dump is the answer.

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