Ty Lawson entering rehab facility

Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson has entered a treatment facility for his use of alcohol, according to the Associated Press. Lawson’s lawyers expressed this in a Colorado court on Friday afternoon, an appearance necessitated after Lawson was cited for DUI in the state in January. Lawson was also charged with DUI last week in California. All told, this is the third time Lawson has been charged with DUI in his life.

His stay will be for 30 days at a residential facility, and if Lawson decides to leave early, the judge has stated she will put out an arrest warrant. Denver has been actively shopping Lawson but can’t find any team to take him because of both his alcohol-related issues and the amount the Nuggets want back for the former North Carolina Tar Heels star.

The six-year veteran has shown he can play over the first six years of his career after being taken with the 18th-0verall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves (he was traded immediately to Denver). Lawson has averaged double-digit points every year since his rookie campaign, although injuries have been an issue throughout his tenure with the Nuggets. Lawson has only played 75 games in a season twice.

Last year, Lawson averaged 15.2 points and 9.6 assists per game in 35 minutes. The 27-year-old is one of the most complete guards in the game, but now faces a personal challenge of monumental proportions. Hopefully, Lawson can takes steps to defeat this issue and return to the rest of his life as a sober man.

Trading for Lawson will not only cost a team a good chunk of talent and/or picks, but the cap hit isn’t cheap either. Lawson is due $12.4 million this season before getting paid $13.2 million in 2016-17. After those two campaigns, Lawson becomes a free agent.