The Indiana Pacers have reportedly agreed to sign veteran point guard Ty Lawson after the seven-year pro was waived by the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Indiana is expected to release small forward Chase Budinger to open a slot for the former Denver Nugget.
Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania reported that the 28-year-old NCAA champion floor general will "fill a backup role to (current Pacers starting point) guard George Hill" for the rest of the season and possibly into the playoffs.
Lawson was one of the key men in the Nuggets' roster last season, averaging 15.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 9.6 assists per game for then head coach Brian Shaw and interim Melvin Hunt.
However, after a disappointing season when the Nuggets finished 12th in the Western Conference with a 30-52 record, he was traded to the Rockets last summer, together with a 2017 second-round pick, in exchange for Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson, Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, a 2016 first-round pick, and cash considerations.
The Houston experiment eventually failed and so he was released and will join his third team in two seasons.
Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner noted that "because Houston waived Lawson before the March 1 midnight deadline, he will be eligible to play in the postseason" if the Pacers qualify for it.
As of the moment, Indiana is precariously in the seventh spot of the Eastern Conference standings with a 32-29 record. They are 5-5 in their last 10 matches and is a game ahead of the current eight-seeded squad Detroit Pistons.
Buckner also noted that Lawson "has a checkered past" that involved several off-court issues, particularly about drunk driving. He was arrested twice in a period of six months because of it when he was still with the Nuggets.
In December of last year, he was given a two-game suspension by the league after he pleaded guilty for "driving while impaired" and "lane usage violation" during an after-party drive in January 2015. He was again suspended by the NBA for another three games in January of this year for driving under the influence of alcohol in July 2015.
Even with his off-court problems, Lawson can bring a lot to the Pacers' offense with his drive-to-the-basket attacks and playmaking skills.
Head coach Frank Vogel will just have his hands full on trying to encourage the seven-year pro to practice self-control especially when he is not on a basketball court.