Ty Lawson was someone who many felt would be moved soon by the Houston Rockets before the National Basketball Association (NBA) trade deadline which happens on Feb. 18.
With the recent re-acquisition of Josh Smith from the Los Angeles Clippers, the Rockets technically have their old team back plus Lawson and other new faces. So will good things finally come?
The season hasn't exactly turned out to be an impressive one for the Rockets, struggling to justify their pre-tournament billing. Lawson was one of the pillars that the team had hoped to get some boost from, seeing that one of their flaws last season was that hole in the point guard position.
Lawson didn't exactly flourish with the Rockets and hence the reason for the trade rumors in recent weeks. Lawson, through his agents, wants more playing time and, apparently, that is something he will not get with the Rockets at the rate things are going.
Milwaukee was a rumoured destination but if this tweet from USA Today is reliable, all that may have just been shelved.
More Rockets: I'm told they expect to keep Ty Lawson past Feb. 18 trade deadline. Recent chatter about Bucks, but they're rolling w/ him.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) January 22, 2016 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">With that said, Lawson may have just been a given a new lease on life that he belongs in Houston. The opportunity also allows him to work on his stock as he heads into a period of uncertainty.
Lawson will need to find some way to rebuild his stock and value, particularly for next season when he could find himself looking for another team to play on.
He technically freed the Rockets from any obligation after giving up his guaranteed contract for 2016–17. That means that his $13 million salary for next season would allow the Rockets to waive him, according to Yahoo Sports.
Despite all these talks, Lawson's state could still change until the NBA trade deadline lapses. There are still a couple of weeks to go. The Rockets have done surprise moves in the past so until Feb. 18 ends, anything is still possible.
