It is certainly no secret that the Houston Rockets have been struggling this season. The team has started out very slow as things continue to fall apart. The firing of head coach Kevin McHale was not enough to spark change within the team so now trade rumors are beginning to rise up. In need of some kind of spark, could the Rockets aim to trade Ty Lawson after acquiring him in free agency?
According to Steve Kyler of BasketballInsiders.com, the Rockets are open to trading Lawson who is owed $12.4 million this season with the final year of his deal not fully guaranteed. According to Kyler, the Rockets are beginning to test the waters on a deal for the point guard in order to spark change within the lineup. While Lawson is a quality player who averaged 9.6 assists per game last season, the team is statistically better when he is on the bench than on the court. The pairing of Lawson and James Harden has yet to pay off for the Rockets and now they are searching for a change.
It is unclear what teams would be interested in a potential deal. The Dallas Mavericks are having issues with Deron Williams right now while the Lakers could use a veteran to help D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson. However, it will be tough to sell a team on taking Lawson's contract plus his off-the-court issues. The Rockets might not be able to get the change they want.
The interest in dealing Lawson comes after the return of Patrick Beverley to the starting lineup. The point guard returned to the lineup after sitting out with an ankle injury. He has now taken over the starting role after Jason Terry held down the spot with Lawson coming off the bench. The success of Terry makes Lawson expendable if the Rockets need him to be. Head coach JB Bickerstaff told the media that he likes the leadership Terry brings in as a reserve while he favors Beverley for the starting job.
The Rockets may or may not get a trade deal for Lawson, but they are at least getting more action from Dwight Howard who appears to be fully healthy from a back injury. According to Calvin Watkins of ESPN, Howard will start playing more back-to-back games as he gets healthier. He will continue to have his minutes monitored, but it is a good sign that he is playing more games. That might be something that can help the Rockets going forward. Bickerstaff made it clear that he still intends to play a big lineup and start Howard plus backup center Clint Capela. The Rockets are 2-0 when both players are in the starting lineup.
"We're going to go with it," Bickerstaff said, via ESPN.com. "We're confident in what those guys can do and what they can do together and obviously you put Patrick Beverley at the head of the ball, now he's into guys, he's dogging the ball, putting more pressure on people. If guys go to the paint, now they got two guys in there they have to deal with. One of them can challenge the shot, the other can come up with the rebound."