Josh Kroenke detailed the final months of the Ty Lawson's tenure with the Denver Nuggets in an interview with Marc J. Spears.
Kroenke said he had repeated conversations with Lawson about his “life struggles,” adding that Lawson often said he would attempt to fix his issues but he could “never fully shake them.”
“He always had an affinity for burning the candle at both ends,” Kroenke said. “We want to give our players freedom to be young guys as well. We’re not going to be drill sergeants. But we want our guys to be able to handle their personal lives on their own.
“Ty … there were times when he was better than others. But the problems have been there for several years, going back to when we were having a lot of on-court success. I don’t want to go back too far. There were just a lot of times where you were at practice and you just know. You could smell it. You know there is probably deeper issues than he would probably let on.”
Lawson returned from the All-Star break late after spending time in Las Vegas and Kroenke hasn't spoken with him much since.
“I love Ty and will always love Ty, but once I saw him going down this dark path, we knew that we probably were going to end up in a situation where we were dumping him,” Kroenke said. “It creates a weird dynamic.”
Lawson now gets to join the Houston Rockets in a great situation.
“[The Nuggets] understood what was best for Ty,” Lawson’s agent Happy Walters told Yahoo Sports via text. “They actually care, and it’s rare for owners and GMs to put players’ well-being first.”
