With signing Dallas Mavericks star Rajon Rondo in free agency not a sure thing, the Houston Rockets may look at trading for Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson after the season.
Houston's biggest deficiency is at the 1-spot, and it's an area the team will certainly try to improve in the offseason. The Rockets' top choice is presumably Rondo, whom they've been linked to over the last couple seasons. There's no guarantee, though, the Rockets will be able to land him in the summer. His situation appears to be improving in Dallas, and even if Rondo were to test the free agent market this summer, Houston would have to compete with big-market teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks.
Rondo was reportedly open to re-signing with Houston if he were traded there earlier this season, so the Rockets seemingly have at least a chance to sign him. Having a playoff-caliber team behind stars James Harden and Dwight Howard, along with having only $54.4 million of guaranteed salary on the books - the front office would still need to get financially creative - for next season, helps Houston in its efforts to sign Rondo.
But if the Rockets were to lose out on Rondo, there's another option worth looking at: Lawson.
Lawson, 27, has improved every season and is now entering the prime of his career. He's one of the speediest guards in the NBA, he can score (15.5 PPG), his 9.7 assists per game rank third-best in the league and his contract - $25.5 million over the next seasons - makes him a bargain.
More importantly, he may become available this summer.
"There is a sense that if the Nuggets are planning on a major rebuild, Lawson may want out," Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler wrote Monday.
Reports indicated Lawson was available for the right price before the Feb. 19 deadline passed, and if Denver does opt to undergo a rebuild, trading Lawson's contract for assets makes sense.
Denver would certainly put a big price tag on Lawson. The Rockets' best assets are their future first-round picks and 23-year-old power forward Terrence Jones, so general manager Daryl Morey would likely need to get a third team involved.
