After getting to the West Finals this year, the Rockets seem determined to make it to the Finals. If Lawson plays to his talent level, the Rockets are a serious title contender. If he doesn't they may be stuck with him for the next two seasons. Adding Lawson is a risky move since his list of off-court troubles is long, and it's unclear whether he'll hurt Houston's locker room chemistry. That said, Lawson is an above-average starting NBA point guard when focused and on his game, so he'll be an upgrade to defense-first Patrick Beverley (who likely shifts to backup status).

Denver's rebuild continues. By moving Lawson the Nuggets get rid of a hefty contract and a player who caused significant off-court headaches. They also land a first-round pick in the next NBA Draft, and get a potential future starter in athletic combo guard Johnson. Papanikolaou too should help the rebuild, but Prigioni is expected to be let go and Dorsey isn't likely to be much of a rotation factor even if he's kept around. Johnson is the only one of the four with a contract that lasts more than one season, so this move also gives Denver significant financial flexibility moving forward.

Lawson gets a fantasy downgrade here, since he moves from a team (Denver) on which he'd normally dominate the ball, to a team (Houston) where he's probably third in line for shots (behind James Harden and Dwight Howard). That said, Harden and Howard probably both lose a few shots to Lawson, too. On the Nuggets, Lawson's shot attempts will be picked up by a combination of vet point guard Jameer Nelson and rookie combo guard Emmanuel Mudiay. Nelson and Mudiay both should see solid increases in fantasy value as a result. Meanwhile none of the quartet of Johnson, Papanikolaou, Dorsey, and Prigioni will probably be in line for increased playing time as a result of this trade, so all four should be ignored in '15-16 drafts.