HOUSTON – Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has acquired veteran guard Ty Lawson and a 2017 second-round pick in a trade with the Denver Nuggets. In exchange, the Rockets will send Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson, Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, Houston’s lottery-protected 2016 first-round pick and cash considerations to Denver.
Lawson (5-11, 195, North Carolina) averaged 15.2 points and a career-high 9.6 assists in 35.5 minutes per game over the course of 75 games (all starts) with the Denver Nuggets during the 2014-15 NBA season. The sixth year guard holds career averages of 14.2 points, 6.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 35.5 minutes per game over the course of 416 career appearances (including 307 starts). Lawson has twice won NBA Western Conference Player of the Week honors for the weeks ending Mar. 5, 2012 and Mar. 4, 2013. The 5-11 guard played three years at the University of North Carolina and concluded his career with a NCAA Championship in 2009, two Final Four appearances (2008, 2009) and the 2009 Bob Cousy Award given to the nation’s top collegiate point guard. Lawson was originally selected 18th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Dorsey (6-8, 268, Memphis) holds career averages of 2.6 points and 3.9 rebounds over the course of 130 career performances (including 26 starts) over the course of four NBA seasons. Dorsey was originally drafted with the 33rd overall selection of the 2008 NBA Draft. He signed as a free-agent with Houston on Jul. 19, 2015.
Johnson (6-3, 200, Arizona) averaged 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game over the course of 28 games for the Houston Rockets during the 2014-15 season. The Arizona product was selected 42nd overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Papanikolaou (6-8, 225, Greece) averaged 4.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.7 steals in 18.5 minutes per game in 43 appearances in his rookie season with the Houston Rockets. The first-year forward was originally drafted by the New York Knicks with the 48th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. Houston acquired his rights in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers on July. 10, 2013 and he originally signed with the Rockets as a free agent on Sep. 23, 2014.
Prigioni (6-3, 180, Argentina) holds career averages of 3.8 points and 3.0 assists in 17.7 minutes per game over the course of three NBA seasons with the Knicks and Rockets. Prigioni was originally acquired by the Rockets from the Knicks on Feb. 19, 2015.