The Houston Rockets came close to possibly unloading Ty Lawson, with the team reportedly discussing a deal prior to the National Basketball Association (NBA) trade deadline with the Utah Jazz.
The NBA trade deadline has lapsed and no deal happened. That means that Lawson will have to ride the rest of the season with Houston whether he likes it or not.
There was no valid reason given why the deal failed to materialize, although it may have likely been because the Jazz were taking a big risk on Lawson.
Utah has been aggressively in search of a veteran guard to help the team, but seeing how Lawson's play this season, his inconsistent performance may have been too much of a risk than a benefit.
There were high hopes that Lawson could beef up the Rockets backcourt this season despite being tied up with off-court incidents. The Rockets took a gamble by taking him off the Denver Nuggets' hands but as most NBA fans have probably seen, Lawson has not really proven himself as a good acquisition.
For his part, Lawson would prefer to end the season with the Rockets and take it from there. At the rate things are going, the veteran guard will likely part ways with the team anyway.
The Rockets will have to try and see what they can get out of Lawson and put that $13 million to good use. To somehow help him get back on track, the team has reportedly commissioned the services of John Lucas, a former Rocket who is recovering from a drug addiction issue.
With that alternative botched, the Rockets' woes continue. Nothing significant happened for the team at the NBA trade deadline, but much of the moves will likely happen in the offseason.
Aside from Lawson, there are issues concerning Dwight Howard as well. Howard was one of the names mentioned as up for trade, although nothing materialized because Houston was reportedly asking too much in return.
