Denver Nuggets president Josh Kroenke has accused Ty Lawson of attending the team's practices while smelling of alcohol.
The now-Houston Rockets point guard was arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol earlier this month, which was his second arrest this year.
Kroenke, who is the son of team owner Stan Kroenke, told Yahoo Sports: "He always had an affinity for burning the candle at both ends. We want to give our players freedom to be young guys as well. We're not going to be drill sergeants. But we want our guys to be able to handle their personal lives on their own.
"Ty, there were times when he was better than others. But the problems have been there for several years, going back to when we were having a lot of on-court success. I don't want to go back too far.
"There were just a lot of times where you were at practice and you just know. You could smell it. You know there is probably deeper issues than he would probably let on."
Lawson joined the Rockets earlier this week as part of a trade, which saw four players and a first-round Draft pick heading to the Nuggets.