Ty Lawson hasn’t impressed in 26 games with the Rockets and if the point guard’s camp has its way, the North Carolina product will be playing for another team before the end of the season. Although Lawson’s trade value has arguably never been lower, he is still a starting-caliber point guard and the Rockets should be able to garner a respectable return if they trade him. So tonight’s shootaround is about finding a new home for the troubled 28-year-old and here’s what I would do if I was sitting in GM Daryl Morey’s chair:
Rumors surfaced earlier in the week that Dwight Howard is unhappy with the current state of the franchise and although the center has since refuted those reports, the team expects him to turn down his player option, which would have paid him slightly more than $23.282MM next season. Signing a 30-year-old center with injury history to a long-term, possibly maximum salaried deal may not be the best option for the franchise, yet neither is losing him to another team in free agency.
The Rockets should attempt to trade both Howard and Lawson and build a new team around James Harden. The Nets were on Howard’s list of suitors when he was pushing for a trade from the Magic back in 2011 and while it’s unclear if Brooklyn remains a preferable destination, GM Billy King has the pieces to make a logical trade.
If Houston sends Howard, Lawson and Corey Brewer, who won’t be eligible to be traded until January 15th, to Brooklyn for Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez, who also isn’t eligible to be traded until January 15th, both teams would be better off, even if the Rockets have to include another reserve in the deal to make the salaries align. The Nets would get a new face of the franchise in Howard and a talented point guard in Lawson, who could play beside Jarrett Jack to give the Nets a somewhat exciting backcourt, something they lacked for quite some time. The Rockets would add two proven scoring options to help ease Harden’s burden on the offensive end and they would get younger at the center position. Adding Lopez, whose Player Efficiency Rating is 20.49 this season, would give the team an All-Star whose career is on the same trajectory as Harden’s and they would form a more lethal duo than the Harden-Howard pairing.
The parameters around this trade are purely speculative, as there have been no reports linking the Nets and Rockets in trade discussions.
Be the Rockets’ GM tonight. Let us know what you would do with Lawson and Howard if you were running Houston and tell us what you think about this hypothetical trade. Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.
That is a legit terrible deal for Houston for multiple reasons. If you’re the Nets, you jump at that, and then make jokes about Morey behind his back
I don’t necessarily disagree with you, but can you state some of these reasons?
Brook Lopez is a garbage defender. The only times its ok to have him on the floor is if he is giving you something on the offensive end, which is referenced in the article. However, part of the reason that Dwight has been “ineffective” this year/what possibly necessitates the trade rumors is that he doesnt get touches. That brings me to this question. What are you getting from Brook Lopez if he isnt getting the ball? That is just one of the reasons, or two depending on how you look at it. If its necessary, I can explore the other reasons as well, but I think this should suffice for now
Lopez is a plus defender, he just doesn’t get the credit for it
he is the 3rd worst defensive center in the league behind Enes Kanter and Al Jefferson, in my personal opinion. There are a couple of others you can throw in there as well, but you get my point
Trying to play Lopez and Capela together doesn’t seem like something that would really work as well, both offensively and defensively.
It wouldn’t shock me to see Howard end up across the state in Dallas. The only obstacles there that I could see are 1) The Mavs would have to move someone with a sizable salary to accommodate Howard’s in the deal, which may necessitate a third team getting involved, and 2) The Mavs are probably a bit skittish on giving up assets for a high risk-reward player, given how the trade for Rondo turned out last season.
Also, I feel like the only way they’ll be able to move Ty Lawson is by attaching him like a barnacle to any Terrence Jones deal.
The Mavs would be a nice fit for Howard. Getting Dallas and Houston to agree to a trade may be tricky though.
The problem with the Rondo deal was obvious before it was made, and it had nothing to do with Rondo’s attitude. That being said, I dont see the Mavs having what would be necessary to acquire Dwight
I agree, a trade to the Mavs doesn’t make sense for Houston, but I wonder if the Mavs go hard at him if he becomes a free agent.
I think they’ll go after Whiteside. Similarly to DeAndre Jordan, he seems liek the type that could be swayed by someone like Mark Cuban “wooing” him
Whiteside would be a very nice addition to the team in Dallas. Do you think they offer him the max?
Ya, and knowing Pat Riley, I think he has a certain number in mind, and I dont think its the max. Maybe I’m wrong though. They have done a great job of surrounding Whiteside with the right people over the last year. They also gave him his chance. There is value in that, and I do see Whiteside as the type that would care about it, but he also has been through a lot, and I see him taking the money when its offered
Your right about that. They’ve really given Whiteside a lot by catering to him. I could see Whiteside weighing out the options until a team presents him with the Max..Riley should not open the discussion with “Max” but in terms of competition with the other franchise’s there could be a lot of back and forth involved with keeping Hassan Whiteside in Miami. My opinion, If Mark Cuban was willing to Max out a contract for DeAndre, he’ll do it again this time with Hassan.
Daryl Morey and Mark Cuban have a long-standing feud. The Mavs are probably last on the list of teams that Howard would be traded to.
As a nets fan this deal is fantastic Dwight did want to play in Brooklyn but it would be incredibly difficult to get rid of Lopez but is most likely the only way to get the deal done
Just release Lawson. He doesn’t work on the rockets and no ones giving up anything for him. Trade Dwight to the wiz for nene and gortat
I’ll make an attempt at a deal here, but it was tough to matchup the salaries. Ty Lawson and Marcus Thornton to Milwaukee for Greivis Vazquez, Damian Inglis, and Jerryd Bayless?
I thought about Milwaukee as a destination. On the court, it makes sense, but I believe that team needs veteran leadership and Lawson may not be best for that role.
Ty Lawson was never a problem under George Karl. I believe he would respect Jason Kidd, as well as want to seize the opportunity to be a leader on that team, with a young, athletic roster
I’m sure that at this point of his dwindling career, Ty Lawson will respect anyone that gives him a shot. Doesn’t Phil Jackson have a thing for aging point guards?
The Knicks wouldn’t be a bad landing spot for Lawson, as he played with Melo and Afflalo previously in Denver
I dont think they play his style though. I would agree that he would be a fit there normally though
Markieff and Tyson Chandler for Dwight?
Very interesting! Although the only downside is that Houston would tie up nearly all of its cap space in the summer with this trade.
Sent that trade possibility to the Nets – Twitter a few days ago. It checks too, Howard and Lawson for Brook Lopez, Jarrett Jack and Bogdanovic. Jack be a better contributor for the Rockets and Lopez play more of a bully type of ball inside.
A good center needs to play with a good point guard. Dwight could be a good fit for San Antonio. Pop will get him to play up to his potential. It’s hard to play with James Harden.