NBA teams are now down to the trading business as the deadline approaches. Two of the most talked teams in the rumor mill are the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers and Rockets are trying to explore trade interests around the league, and according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, both teams are ready for a roster shakeup before the trade deadline.
Interestingly, both teams have plenty of tradable players, who could net valuable assets in return. For the Rockets, they have Ty Lawson, while the Clippers have Lance Stephenson and Jamal Crawford.
The Rockets are not actively shopping Ty Lawson, according to Kyler, but the team could be forced to deal the former Nugget point guard if they wish to keep their playoff hopes alive.
It is fair to say that the Rockets have overcome a shaky start into the 2015-2016 NBA regular season, but they cannot afford to be inconsistent at this point, especially in a stacked Western Conference.
Currently, the Rockets have managed to sneak into the top eight teams in the West with a 12-12 record.
Although they have finally reached the .500 mark, the Rockets are still far from the team that made the Western Conference Finals last playoffs. This could force the Rockets to shakeup their roster a bit to stay alive in the Wild Wild West.
On the other hand, the Clippers were reportedly gauging interests from other teams for the likes of Stephenson and Crawford, according to Marc J Spears of Yahoo Sports.
Doc Rivers has laughed off such reports, but Kyler insisted that "there is some truth to the idea that the Clippers would like to add to the roster and have had talks with a number of teams."
The Clippers are fourth in the West with a 14-10 record, but they cannot expect to keep their rank with other teams Western powerhouses lurking for their spot.
Kyler wrote: "As one league source pointed out, if the Clippers want to move Lance, it would have to be in a deal that included another player (possibly someone like Jamal Crawford).
There is a sense that the Clippers would be open to taking on a big contract, so packaging the contract of Stephenson ($9 million this year and team option for next) and the ending deal of Crawford ($5.67 million) could return a sizable deal."
Both teams have not lived up to the expectations of fans and are looking to upgrade their roster, so why not make a deal with each other that would be beneficial in their playoff run?
The Clippers could send both Stephenson and Crawford for Lawson.
Lawson would give the Clips depth in the backcourt department and could serve as a solid ball-handler backup for Chris Paul.
Meanwhile, Stephenson and Crawford should be able to cover the offensive and defensive deficiency in the Rockets' backcourt. Moreover, the Clippers could unload the hefty salary of both Stephenson and Crawford
While this trade appears as valid in ESPN's trade machine, it is unlikely the Clippers would give up both players for Lawson alone. The Rockets could probably add Terrence Jones or Donatas Motiejunas, who are also part of Rockets' tradable players.