Rockets buy out Ty Lawson, ending dismal, brief chapter in Houston

Cue up the bagpipes and the "Amazing Grace," the Ty Lawson era for the Houston Rockets is officially over. The Rockets have reached a buyout agreement with the point guard and, after he clears waivers, he will be free to sign with any team he wants, according to multiple reports.

This past offseason, the Rockets pulled the trigger and made the deal to bring in Lawson for Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson and a protected 2016 first-round pick.

At the time, the deal seemed almost too good to be true. The Rockets got a nearly All-Star guard for pretty much spare parts. And, like all deals that seem too good to be true, that's exactly what it was.

The Rockets did not get the guard that was nearly unstoppable with the Nuggets. Instead, they got a player who was entangled in the legal system off the court, timid and useless on it.

Lawson ended up losing his starting job to Patrick Beverley after starting the season poorly. After moving to the bench, he was almost invisible. You would see every now and then a spark for a game or two from Lawson, but like the rest of his teammates, he could not bring the effort on a consistent basis.

With Lawson and Marcus Thornton gone as well, the Rockets have two empty roster spots on their team. Of late, the team has been relying on Jason Terry more and his role will likely be even more increased with Lawson on the market.

The Rockets could also add another point guard that is looking for a new home after getting bought out. Former Spurs guard Ray McCallum is looking for work, as is former Blazers guard Tim Frazier and former Heat guard Beno Udrih. Any of them could be candidates for a spot at the right price.

If the Rockets are interested in taking a closer look at their own talent, maybe Sam Dekker and K.J. McDaniels will start to get some playing time. They also could sign Will Cummings from the Rockets 'D-League team, who, by all accounts, turned heads when with the Rockets in the summer. He's scoring a team-high 20.3 points for the Vipers this season.

The Rockets have options, the direction they go will tell a lot about the plan for the rest of the season.

The Rockets will be able to keep the first-round pick they shipped off to the Nuggets if they miss the playoffs. As of Tuesday, the Rockets are under .500 and sitting with the eighth seed and very likely could have a date with the Warriors in the playoffs.