Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround: 12/23/15

The Rockets and representatives for Ty Lawson are reportedly working in tandem to look for possible deals that would send the point guard out of Houston, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Houston reportedly wants to keep Lawson, but the point guard’s camp is seeking a way for him to receive more playing time on another team, as was relayed by Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com.

The news that the Rockets are involved in trade discussions involving Lawson represents an apparent change from earlier this month, when Houston was holding off on the idea despite interested teams around the league believing that they’d be able to trade for him on the cheap, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported. The level of interest in Lawson around the league is up for debate, with Ken Berger of CBSSports.com noting that there isn’t currently much of a market for the point guard, and teams are likely waiting to see if the Rockets will ultimately waive him.

This brings me to the topic for today: Should the Rockets look to trade Ty Lawson, even if the return is negligible?

Lawson’s contract has him slated to earn $12,404,495 for 2015/16, which will be a difficult salary to trade without taking back a bad contract or two. The only teams currently possessing enough cap room to absorb Lawson’s pact without needing to ship out a significant amount of salary are the Sixers and Blazers. Portland seems like an unlikely fit given the presence of Damian Lillard, so I’d rule them out as a potential landing spot for Lawson. The Sixers certainly could use help in the backcourt, but given Lawson’s off the court troubles, he doesn’t quite fit the bill as the veteran leader the team is looking to add.

The most logical fit for Lawson would be with the Knicks, given the team’s lack of production from the one spot. Lawson’s deal would not necessarily be an issue for the cap space conscious Knicks since his 2016/17 salary is non-guaranteed until either the day after the completion of the NBA Finals or the day after the 2016 NBA draft, whichever occurs later. Matching salaries for this season could be tricky, unless New York is willing to part with Robin Lopez, who could be dealt for Lawson straight up. It’s unclear if Houston would be interested in Lopez, but he could be viewed as a palatable replacement should Dwight Howard depart after this season as a free agent. A package of Jose Calderon and Derrick Williams, two players New York would likely love to part with, would also work salary-wise, though it’s unclear if the Rockets would be willing to take on Calderon, who still has one year remaining on his deal.

No matter which team Houston paired up with on a potential deal, the franchise isn’t likely to receive much in the way of value in return. So what say you? Should Houston look to cut ties with Lawson, no matter what the return? Or should the team hang onto him for the remainder of the season and hope he can pick up his play? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.

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