While he was at an alcohol treatment center, point guard Ty Lawson was traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Houston Rockets, multiple media outlets reported Sunday.
Lawson is "excited" about the trade, his agent told KRIV-TV in Houston.
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While he was at an alcohol treatment center, point guard Ty Lawson was traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Houston Rockets, multiple media outlets reported Sunday. Lawson is "excited" about the trade, his agent told KRIV-TV in Houston.
"He's close with James (Harden), tight with Corey (Brewer), knows Trevor (Ariza) and Dwight (Howard) and is real excited," agent Happy Walters said. "It's an opportunity for him. He's been deep in the playoffs before, but this is something he feels really good about."
The Rockets reportedly sent forward Kostas Papanikolaou, guard Pablo Prigioni, center Joey Dorsey, guard Nick Johnson and a protected 2016 first-round pick to the Nuggets. Denver sent Houston a 2017 second-round draft pick.
According to ESPN.com, Papanikolaou's contract isn't guaranteed, and Prigoni's deal is partially guaranteed. Yahoo Sports reported that the Nuggets waived Prigioni on Monday to avoid guaranteeing his $1.6 million salary for the upcoming season. Prigioni will get $440,000.
Last Tuesday, Lawson was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence for the second time in the past six months. Lawson attended a pretrial hearing Friday in Denver after his Tuesday arrest in Los Angeles. He was arrested on the same charge in Denver in January.
Lawson entered the Cliffside Malibu treatment facility, a celebrity rehabilitation center in California for patients with addiction and psychiatric issues, for a 30-day stay starting Saturday.
Lawson won't face charges in California and Colorado until he goes through the treatment program.
"We will be handling the personal needs of the defendant," attorney Harvey Steinberg said Friday.
Lawson's next court date is Aug. 20 in Denver.
The Nuggets' 2009 first-round pick out of North Carolina, Lawson spent his first six NBA seasons in Denver. He averaged 15.2 points and a career-high 9.6 assists last season. In 2013-14, he produced a career-best 17.6 points per game.
Denver added a replacement for him when it selected point guard Emmanuel Mudiay with the No. 7 pick in the first round of last month's draft.
Papanikolaou averaged 4.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and two assists for the Rockets last season, while Priogoni produced 4.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
Dorsey put up 2.7 points and four rebounds per game in 2014-15, and Johnson averaged 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds.