NBA: 5 Best Fits If Houston Rockets Buy Out Ty Lawson
3. Miami Heat
With Tyler Johnson injured, Beno Udrih banged up and Brian Roberts‘ stay in South Beach lasting a grand total of one practice, the Miami Heat could really use some depth in the backcourt. As of right now, their only guards coming off the bench are Gerald Green and Josh Richardson.
Lawson could provide temporary relief, and either serve as an insurance policy for the playoffs or prove himself in a system that allows him to create, unlike the shackled offense he’s encountered in Houston.
Pat Riley made his moves at the trade deadline to get the Heat under the luxury tax threshold and avoid the dreaded repeater tax, but the team also has two roster spots available for buyout candidates just like Lawson.
However, we should note that avoiding the luxury tax at all costs is the goal, as Nate Duncan points out in the case of Joe Johnson, another buyout the Heat are interested in:
If they sign J. Johnson prior to March 6, Heat in tax unless they can waive another player and have another team claim him.
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) February 26, 2016
As Albert Random of HeatHoops.com explains, the the Heat cannot sign anyone to a minimum scale salary until Mar. 6 if they want to avoid slipping back into luxury tax territory. That Mar. 6 date is well past Tuesday’s deadline to add players to playoff rosters for the rest of the season, meaning a gamble on Lawson would push Miami back into the luxury tax.
We should also note that if the Heat carry through with signing Joe Johnson, as ESPN’s Zach Lowe and the Miami Herald’s Ethan Skolnick are reporting, that would make a Lawson signing even more unlikely.
Next: No. 2