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North Carolina Tar Heels: Rockets to buy out Ty Lawson

By John Woodcock

Jan 20, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) is defended by Houston Rockets guard Ty Lawson (3) in the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 20, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) is defended by Houston Rockets guard Ty Lawson (3) in the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former North Carolina Tar Heels star Ty Lawson is in negotiations to leave Houston to find a new team.

For former North Carolina Tar Heels guard Ty Lawson there is a big deadline coming up. That is the deadline that a player can be waived or bought out and still be eligible for the NBA Playoffs with his new team. This was the very reason that Joe Johnson was bought out by Brooklyn when he was, and now reports from Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical say that the Rockets are preparing to do the same thing with Lawson.

The experiment of Lawson in Houston has been a failure. It has not been a failure from any lack of skill, but Lawson has not been able to mesh with guard James Harden. Lawson was used to dominating the ball in Denver, but in Houston it is Harden who decides what happens to the basketball. The Rockets have been having a hard time integrating others around Harden who need the ball. This would include Lawson and Dwight Howard.

Houston tried to trade Howard and Lawson at the deadline, but they could not find any takers at the price they wanted. Howard can become a free agent at the end of the season, but Lawson had a longer deal and Houston decided to buy him out now.

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So where does Lawson go from here? He can sign anywhere but he will likely sign a deal of the rest of the year with a playoff contender. So who needs point guard help? The Toronto Raptors could someone to help out when Kyle Lowry is on the bench. The Bulls could use insurance for Derrick Rose. Indiana could use help at the position.

Next: Tar Heels End of Season Prognosis

Of course that assumes that Lawson needs to a big contributor. If he could accept a smaller role then the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavs become options, though signing Lawson would drive the Heat into the luxury tax. He could go to Portland to backup Damian Lillard. Or he could go to Oklahoma City to offer more lineup flexibility for Billy Donovan.

Whatever happens, Lawson will likely be in a better place than the limbo he is in right now. Then he can choose his real next home in the off season.

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