This thing between Ty Lawson and the Houston Rocket isn’t working out.
Lawson has basically fallen out of interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s rotation, and the Rockets are desperate for change following a god-awful start to the 2015-16 season. Any change general manager Daryl Morey makes is almost sure to include Lawson—assuming, of course, the team can move him.
Which, apparently, they can’t.
From CBS Sports’ Ken Berger:
Now, the Rockets are contemplating their next move — and it could involve trying to accommodate a desire on the part of Lawson and his agents to find a trade partner for him.
Easier said than done.
Even the Rockets, who have a long track record of expertly drumming up leverage in seemingly desperate trade scenarios, will struggle to find Lawson a new home. The trade market for him is minimal, league sources tell CBS Sports, and the best move for Houston might be to hold onto him.
There are even whispers in league circles that the Rockets might consider waiving the 28-year-old guard, who agreed to make his $13.2 million salary in 2016-17 fully non-guaranteed as part of the trade. But there are voices within the league that I trust who are dubious on that point; better for Rockets GM Daryl Morey to keep Lawson as a potential trade piece in another deal between now and the February deadline.
The absence of a market for Lawson isn’t surprising. He’s not yet a year removed from playing like a fringe All-Star, but he comes with a lot of off-court baggage (multiple DUI arrests) and has yet to show he can adapt to playing off the ball for stretches at a time.
The Rockets’ leverage, already wafter thin, is further marginalized by Lawson spearheading the trade request, per ESPN.com’s Calving Watkins:
Source: Rockets want to keep Ty Lawson, however, more playing time with someone else is being sought from Lawson's people.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) December 18, 2015
Waiving Lawson, then, isn’t totally out of the question. His non-guaranteed salary in 2016-17 makes him a glorified expiring contract anyway, and now that the rest of the NBA knows the Rockets cannot even give him away, potential suitors may assume an even harder stance in negotiations.
That said, some team may inevitably be willing to take the plunge as we near the trade deadline. And that team could be the Dallas Mavericks. Deron Williams is currently injured, J.J. Barea is hot and cold, and Raymond Felton, while proving serviceable, is Raymond Felton. Their offense is perfect for Lawson, and they’ve shown a willingness to gamble on baggage-bogged talent in the past (see: Rondo, Rajon), even if it hasn’t always worked out.
Whatever happens, Lawson’s days in Houston are numbered. This isn’t a matter of if he’ll leave the Rockets, it’s a matter of when—this season or over the summer.
