Denver Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly met with the media this morning at Pepsi Center for the first time since trading Ty Lawson to the Houston Rockets. Connelly opened with saying it was a sad day but sometimes a change of scenery can be best for both parties.
“Certainly you wish you’d done more. I think Ty’s dealing with some demons right now i’m certain he’ll overcome. Even though he’s not here, we’re fully supportive of him, and i’ll maintain a close relationship with Ty. The convergence of fame and wealth is never an easy combination. I think we tried to create an environment that could both be successful for Ty and the team. We had some documented issues, and its a failure on all ends, but I am hopeful that both parties are on to bigger and better things.”
Connelly was asked about the haul they received for Lawson but didn’t have much to say.
Connelly didn’t exactly give a ringing endorsement to the players they acquired, said they have “some interest” and will evaluate. #nuggets
— Adam Kinney (@AdamKinneyRadio) July 21, 2015
Connelly did go out of his way to mention former Arizona Wildcats guard Nick Johnson, who the Nuggets worked out prior to the 2014 NBA draft.
This trade has been regarded by many as a bust for Denver, with the Nuggets not getting much value for Lawson, but Connelly doesn’t care how the trade is viewed externally. “Everyone has an opinion certainly, I think there’s real value in some of the players we got and certainly a first round pick, it’s hard to say there’s no value. I was a unique market, it wasn’t the most vibrant of markets quite frankly, for obvious reasons, but we’re really not concerned about how the trade is viewed externally. We want to see how we get better and how it helps the organization.”
Obviously this move has been inevitable for some time now since the Nuggets drafted Lawson’s heir apparent in Emmanuel Mudiay, and Connelly couldn’t be more excited. “We’re extremely excited, Jameer (Nelson) has been a starter every year until he got to Boston, has been to the finals and has been an All-Star, and I can’t overstate how excited we are about Emmanuel, we got very lucky he fell to us and we view him as a guy we can kind of hand the ball to and get out of the way.”
The dust of NBA free agency has settled for the most part, Connelly isn’t ruling out future moves. “We’re always looking to improve our roster. What happened yesterday gave us increased flexibility, we’re going to try to maximize that financial flexibility, maybe with some of our own guys.”
The Nuggets have already re-signed/extended Wilson Chandler, Will Barton and Jameer Nelson and may be looking to extend Danilo Gallinari and re-sign Darrell Arthur. Connelly hopes some of the loyalty the players have shown the city of Denver will help bring players here in the future. “Im excited about some of the guys that have chosen to be in Denver, when you see a Wilson Chandler extension, or a Jameer Nelson, a couple other guys we hope to get done, Will Barton, these guys have effectively chosen to be here, and shown their affinity to the organization and the city, it’s exciting. We have a long way to go, but we have a good foundation to build on.”
