Ty Lawson to Pacers for No. 10 Pick?

Reports suggest the Nuggets want to bolster their frontcourt, and see the lottery portion of June 24's NBA Draft as a prime opportunity. Denver, of course, has no high pick, and as such would need to acquire one in order to be in contention for a big man like Greg Monroe, Ekpe Udoh, Cole Aldrich or Hassan Whiteside. ESPN's Chad Ford reported Monday the team could be willing to give up 2009's No. 19 pick Ty Lawson for a top-10 pick in this year's draft. (Denver got Lawson from Minnesota last year, giving up Charlotte's 2010 pick in the process. That pick ended up being No. 16.)

Enter the Pacers, who had an opportunity to grab Lawson or one of myriad point guards at No. 13 in 2009. Instead, Indiana took forward Tyler Hansbrough, projected by many to be a pro bust due to his underwhelming size, lack of athleticism and general lack of perimeter skill. Hansbrough suffered a rash of injuries in the 2009-10 season, and the team's point guard collection disappointed. The Pacers have the No. 10 pick in this year's draft and desperately need a point guard. Turns out that while 2009 saw a bumper crop of playmakers, there are few other than John Wall in this year's draft.

Lawson, who was an ace rookie off the bench for Denver, looks better than any non-Wall point guard in the 2010 draft, so Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star is reporting the Pacers could be interested in giving up the No. 10 pick in exchange for Lawson.

On the one hand, landing Lawson is a positive for the Pacers, even if it ends up costing two late-lottery picks. In the end, it's the players you acquire who matter -- not the assets you use to get them. But at the same time, it's just depressing to see a club so mismanaged. Picking Hansbrough with the backcourt in disarray was borderline inexcusable. I understand why the Pacers and other liked Hansbrough -- there's always room for dirty-work, high-energy forwards in this league. But it's almost like grabbing your Playstation as you flee your burning house.There are more important things to worry about. The Pacers desperately needed to replace T.J. Ford, and there were so many fine point guards available -- Lawson, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague, Darren Collison. Indiana doesn't have enough talent to tread water with these lottery picks.

As for Denver, flipping a No. 16 pick into a No. 10 pick is golden. Few front offices work harder or smarter than that of the Nuggets.

FanHouse's most recent mock draft has Indiana selecting Kansas guard Xavier Henry at No. 10.