NBA Trade Rumors: 5 deals Knicks need to make
By Tom West
Ty Lawson
This suggestion comes with a big question mark, simply because of the multiple off-court issues Ty Lawson has dealt with over the last year. The Knicks may consider him and then quickly rule him out if they want to avoid any potential damage he could deal to the team’s chemistry and locker room.
Plus, Lawson hasn’t worked out at all with James Harden and the Houston Rockets, which hasn’t done any favors to his trade value. That being said, this helps the Knicks, as from a purely technical standpoint when looking at Lawson’s ability, there’s no denying that the man can play.
As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported in December, the Rockets are interested in moving Lawson due to his poor fit with the team:
"The push to trade him has been based on a poor basketball fit… Because Lawson has struggled to find a way to play off the ball with star James Harden on the floor, the organization and Lawson’s representatives are moving toward cutting short this experiment, league sources said."
It’s not exactly surprising. Lawson arrived in Houston as a possible star to create an elite backcourt, and now it looks like he’ll be leaving as someone who never even fit in. After starting the first 11 games, he’s spent the rest of his time on the bench with just 18.9 minutes a night. With the obvious issues in mind, there’s every reason that he could be heading elsewhere by the trade deadline, and the Knicks should take a chance on him.
It can’t be denied his off-court and behavioral issues are a problem. Everyone knows it and this certainly won’t change in a city like New York. However, as Lawson isn’t going to be helped in Houston, he could have the opportunity to prove himself again with the Knicks.
Only last season he was averaging 15.2 points and 9.6 assists (3rd in the NBA) per game, and that kind of talent is hard to find for a low trade price.
Who the Knicks would put together isn’t certain, but Calderon (who has a $7.4 million salary) and another role player may work. Right now, the Rockets are firmly set with Patrick Beverley as their point guard, and Lawson isn’t even worth keeping as a backup.
If the Rockets decide to part with a player who clearly isn’t fitting in, the Knicks can land a talented point guard without giving up too much.
Next: One of the NBA's best backup point guards