On Sunday, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that the Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets had come to an agreement centered around Ty Lawson. In the trade, the Nuggets will receive Lawson along with a 2017 second-round pick in exchange for Houston’s package of Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson and a protected 2016 first-round pick. This move gives Lawson a new home and a fresh start, and he will need to get his act together before focusing on his new NBA team.

In Denver, Lawson’s on-court ability was never in question. Last year with the Nuggets, Lawson averaged 15.2 points and 9.6 assists per game. Additionally, his career field-goal percentage of 46.6 percent is a strong mark for a point guard. Simply, he has been one of the few bright spots on Denver since being drafted in 2009.

Although Lawson has clearly thrived on the court in his NBA career, his off-court problems have become a concern. In the past six months, Lawson has been arrested for a DUI twice. With so many young children who look up to him, Lawson’s failure to comply with the law, while harming other citizens, is extremely irresponsible. Reports have surfaced that Lawson will soon enter an alcohol rehab center; certainly the right move that hopefully facilitates Lawson’s character development.

In the end, many athletes fail to recognize that they are an idol for young spectators all over the world. No matter how many basketball watchers call Lawson a role model, it is vital that he changes how he conducts himself as a human being. Lawson has been given an immense amount of talent, and it would be a true shame if his NBA playing days were cut short because of this problem.

Nicholas Sciria is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Nick_Sciria, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.