NBA News: Ty Lawson ‘Happy’ Playing For Houston Rockets

Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

After a lot of speculation, it appears veteran point guard Ty Lawson may not be getting bought out of his contract with the Houston Rockets after all.

Lawson was thought to be an ideal candidate for a buyout with many believing the backcourt dynamic with superstar James Harden simply isn’t working. Although a buyout may still happen with Lawson becoming a free agent this week, the 28-year-old doesn’t want to change teams anytime soon.

The North Carolina product recently talked about his situation with the Rockets and whether he was looking to be bought out. Lawson is content with his role in Houston and hopes to stay via Jonathan Feigen of Houston Chronicle:

“I’m just happy here,” Lawson said. “My role, I’m going to keep playing hard every day. I’d rather stay here.

“Hoping things turn around, we get into the playoffs and make things happen. Up and downs, it’s a little frustrating there’s always some types of talks. I’m glad to be here. Just going to play hard and see what happens. I like the city, I like my fans. I mean, I like my teammates. It’s a good fit. I want to be here.”

This may simply be a typical response from a player that couldn’t get a deal done with his team. Lawson likely came to terms with the fact he’s not going anywhere and doesn’t want to ruffle feathers to avoid being a distraction in Houston with the NBA playoffs around the corner.

In all likelihood, Lawson will become an unrestricted free agent this summer with the Rockets almost certainly not picking up the rest of his contract. Next season is unguaranteed as a part of the trade with the Denver Nuggets meaning he’ll be testing the free-agent waters in July.