10:29am: The talks are over, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports, who indicates the discussion was only casual anyway (Twitter link). Wojnarowski also casts doubt on the idea the Rockets will waive Lawson.
7:47am: The Rockets would give considerable thought to waiving Lawson if they don’t trade him to Utah, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
THURSDAY: 7:01am: The talks are serious, with the Jazz having committed to send Burke away, and the growing sense around the league is that Utah is ready to accept Houston’s offer, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). However, Andy Larsen of KSL.com hears the teams are trending in the direction of not getting a deal done (Twitter link).
7:42pm: Utah is looking at deals for several other veteran point guards as well as Lawson, according to Stein.
6:38pm: The Jazz have been interested in acquiring Lawson for a few weeks, tweets Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Burke would be headed to Houston in return as part of a proposal the teams are discussing, but his salary is just short of $2.66MM — nearly $10MM less than Lawson — so other players would have to be included to make the deal work, Jones says (Twitter links). Burke is signed through the 2016/17 season, when he will make nearly $3.39MM.
WEDNESDAY, 5:35pm: The Rockets are looking to Utah in their quest to find a taker for point guard Ty Lawson, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Lawson has reportedly been on the market since at least December, while the Jazz have been down a point guard with Dante Exum missing the season after undergoing left knee surgery last summer. A slow market left Houston expecting to hang on to Lawson through the deadline, as USA Today’s Sam Amick reported last month, but it appears the team is making a renewed effort to find a new home for him.
Lawson was expected to add spark to Houston’s offense after being acquired in an offseason deal with the Nuggets. He opened the season as the team’s starting point guard, but proved to be a poor fit and was demoted to the bench after coach Kevin McHale was fired in November. Lawson is averaging just 6.3 points and 3.6 assists in 48 games.
Utah passed on a chance to deal for Lawson last summer, tweets Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. He believes any deal made now would have to include more than Lawson. The seventh-year point guard has a salary of more than $12.4MM this season, so it won’t be easy for the Jazz to match without giving up something significant. A combination of Trey Burke and Joe Ingles or Burke and Tibor Pleiss would work, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Lawson is due to make more than $13.2MM next season, but that salary is non-guaranteed.
If a trade goes through, it would be an unusual deal for two teams locked in a tight battle for a playoff spot. The Jazz entered the All-Star break leading the Rockets by half a game for eighth place in the West.
That’s laughable
For who? You know what, it doesn’t matter. It would make 0 sense for Utah to make a deal for him. Last thing they need is a player taking minutes away from their young core.
Lawson would be gone at the end of the year, so if anything he gives the team at least a NBA veteran option at the point.
The Jazz wouldn’t have to necessarily send out $8MM+ to acquire Lawson. If they send out ~$4.7MM and that way absorb Lawson via cap space. That would make a bit more sense for Utah…they’re not gutting their whole roster to get this mercurial PG. So either a Burke-Pleiss combo or simply a Lawson-for-Booker swap could get the deal done.
the rockets are just coming off as desperate this year in trade talks … not a good look for morey
Houston just hurry up and waive him so my Knicks can sign him.
Houston, just waive him so my Knicks can sign him.
Swapping Lawson for Burke would be a nice gamble for Utah. This actually makes sense for both teams.