Nuggets, Lawson confident to have an extension signed before deadline

Despite the fact that a deal still isn’t done with the Oct. 31 deadline looming, Lawson believes something will get worked out.

“I’m still confident,” Lawson said to HOOPSWORLD. “My agent is working with Masai Ujiri and Josh Kroenke so I feel like in the next couple of weeks something will get done. We’ll see.”

According to sources close to the situation, the Nuggets’ current offer is in the neighborhood of $44 million over four years, which is just south of what it will likely take to get a deal done before free agency. The 2013 free agency class isn’t going to be overflowing with starting-caliber point guards like Lawson. On the open market, he could very easily receive an offer in the $12-13 million range per year.

So, while the Nuggets may need to up their offer a bit, the two sides do appear to be close enough to where an agreement can be made before the deadline.

“I think a lot of players on the team could be a superstar if they’re in the right situation,” Lawson said. “I feel like we’re a group of guys who want to play and not worry about the critics.

“We have a lot of talented players on the team, at least 12-13 guys who can start anywhere in the league. It’s going to be hard to juggle it. That’s why I’m glad I’m a player and (Coach Karl) is the coach, he has to deal with it.”