Sources: Rockets looking to move suspended guard Ty Lawson
In what increasingly has become a fruitless experiment, the Houston Rockets are engaging in trade scenarios to move guard Ty Lawson, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
After a recent resolution in his court case for a DUI charge in 2014, the NBA suspended Lawson for two games on Friday. Since arriving in Houston this summer, Lawson has met his requirements off the floor and has had no new incidents. The push to trade him has been based on a poor basketball fit.
The Rockets’ front office has been cooperating with Lawson’s representatives in exploring possible deals to bring back some measure of return on the organization’s original investment in Lawson, league sources said.
Lawson relinquished the $13.2 million player option on his 2016-17 contract to clear the way for Houston to acquire him from the Denver Nuggets in July. Because Lawson has struggled to find a way to play off the ball with star James Harden on the floor, the organization and Lawson’s representatives are moving toward cutting short this experiment, league sources said.
Lawson, 28, has dropped to career lows in virtually every offensive category, averaging 5.9 points and 4.2 assists in 25 minutes a game with Houston. Across his seven-year career, which includes six seasons in Denver, Lawson has averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 assists.
Houston gave up four players and a future draft pick in the deal with Denver, although the Nuggets ultimately released all four players. Because of protections on the 2016 conditional first-round pick sent to the Nuggets, the selection would turn into a second-rounder in 2016 should the Rockets miss the playoffs. The Rockets also sent a 2017 second-round pick as part of the deal.
The Rockets are 13-14, holding onto seventh place in the Western Conference standings.
Lawson will make $12.4 million this season.
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