A change of scenery in the backcourt could have happened for the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz who negotiated a Ty Lawson–Trey Burke swap that failed to materialize as the deadline took place.
In a report by ESPN, it was stated that according to sources, the Jazz had been seeking for a veteran point guard and the deal would include Burke.
However, as the deadline struck on Thursday, both point guards stayed with their respective teams and the 2015–16 National Basketball Association (NBA) continues.
The Rockets' desire to ship Lawson to another team does not come as a surprise, considering the difficulty he is experiencing trying to play well for the current system.
Lawson was acquired by Houston via trade from the Denver Nuggets to have an explosive scorer from the bench who can complement the game of All-Star guard James Harden.
Unfortunately, it is not working as planned and ESPN's Marc Stein mentioned in a tweet that the Rockets are considering the option of waiving Lawson if they were unable to deal him away.
It still uncertain what the future holds for Lawson who is averaging 6.3 points and 1.8 rebounds (career-worsts), with 3.6 assists in 23.4 minutes of action per game.
Meanwhile, Burke is a quality young point guard who could be a starting piece for any team. Burke was given a chance to shine this season due to the absence of Dante Exum.
Burke is in his third year with the Jazz and despite not getting the starting nod in all the games Utah played so far in the regular season, he is tallying decent numbers, although they have had a minor dip.
The 23-year-old guard is averaging 11.8 points, two rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 23.6 minutes of playing time per game.
Utah and Houston are the closest teams to the eighth spot in the West, with both already experiencing having a grasp of the position and also losing it.
