The Houston Rockets, fresh off a spectacular 119-105 comeback win over the Portland Trail Blazers last night, could be short two men on their current roster.
With the trade deadline having came and went, the next deadline is for waivers where there’s expected to be a small crop of talent available that can latch on to other teams, especially those that are on stretch runs for the playoffs.
But here’s the kicker.
It has been confirmed that the Rockets are currently exploring the idea of buying out the contracts of guard Ty Lawson and forward Marcus Thornton.
We at least know now that the Rockets have decided to part ways with Thornton with the Lawson domino to likely to fall soon.
Adrian Wojnarowski of the The Vertical reports:
The Houston Rockets are waiving guard Marcus Thornton, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) February 26, 2016
This news doesn’t come as too much surprise as he was involved in a three-team trade that included he and Donatas Motiejunas to the Detroit Pistons that was just voided earlier this week because of concerns about D-Mo’s back status.
The Rockets signed Thornton back last July for the veteran’s minimum ($1.19 million with his six years of service) in hopes that he’d bolster the once-burgeoning team bench.
More from House of Houston
- Are you the 2021 FanSided Sports Fan of the Year?
- Houston Texans: 4 reasons Romeo Crennel is right coach right now
- Astros-Twins Wild Card Series: 5 things to know as MLB postseason begins
- Houston Texans: The Most Underrated Sports Drought Ever
- Houston Texans: J.J. Watt’s early case for NFL Hall of Fame
However, over time, Thornton had fell out of the rotation, the entire bench production imploded and had struggled to find an identity in the whole grand scheme of things.
In my opinion, the biggest weakness he had was his lack of consistent defense when he was out on the floor.
Well all knew that he was a sharpshooter and could grab a key board or two but if one’s not playing defense in this system, then one’s value starts to diminish.
That’s what was happening with Thornton.
More from Houston Rockets
- Houston Rockets and Texans: Two different coaches with one glaring similarity
- Houston Rockets: Dig in, make threes, win series
- Houston Rockets: The time to make a statement is now
- Houston Rockets: Rest Russell Westbrook for remainder of the OKC series
- Houston Rockets: G2: What has put the team in driver’s seat against OKC
He had even sounded off to media back in December when he wasn’t getting enough playing time but the reasoning behind why he wasn’t getting it is loud and clear as I mentioned.
What happens now?
Although the Rockets are still on the hook for his salary, Thornton now will go through the NBA’s waiver process.
If he clears waivers, he’ll be eligible to sign with another team and have the ability to be added to their playoff roster if need be.
The waiver deadline is March 1st by the end of the day so we’ll see if Lawson’s name gets mentioned as well.
Next: Dwight Wants To Make Things Work With The Rockets
We’ll have to see.
Thornton, 28, averaged 10.0 points, 2.4 rebounds while shooting 40 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from three and 87.9 percent from the charity stripe through 47 games (six starts) for 2015-16. He was averaging 18.8 minutes per game.
Go Rockets.