NBA suspends Rockets' Lawson 2 games for DUI arrest
Just less than a month ago, Houston Rockets point guard Ty Lawson pleaded guilty to charges reportedly related to a DUI arrest from January of this year. And with the legal proceedings now played out, the NBA has stepped in and handed down its discipline -- in the form of a suspension.
The league announced a two-game suspension for Lawson for two games on Friday, beginning with Saturday night's game between the Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers.
Lawson's court case reportedly stemmed from his DUI charges in 2015, which brings the 2014 date here into question. However, there were reports at the time of Lawson's subsequent arrest in July, this time in Los Angeles and once again for DUI, that he had also been cited for DUI in Missouri prior to his being pulled over in Denver in January.
The Rockets are reportedly looking to trade Lawson, although it is believed that's a result of a lack of basketball fit, and not because of Lawson's off-court behavior. Finding a trade partner for Lawson will likely be difficult for Houston, however. Lawson's contract pays him over $12 million this season and over $13 million in 2016-17, via Basketball-Reference. That's a higher annual salary than Stephen Curry's current deal. The Rockets would need to find a team that believes Lawson can still be a lead point guard -- and one that's willing to send approximately $12.5 million worth of salary back in return. There aren't many players making that kind of money, which means Houston might have to settle for a mixed assortment of players on smaller deals. Again, that's assuming the Rockets can find a taker for Lawson in the first place. But first, he'll have a suspension to serve.
