INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- According to The Vertical, the Indiana Pacers are in “serious discussions” with free agent Ty Lawson. The Pacers are reportedly not the only team interested in Lawson’s services, but The Vertical did state that the Pacers are the “most serious” team in contention for Lawson.

There hasn’t been much detail regarding who the other teams are that have interest in Lawson. However, The Vertical did say that there were two other teams interested in signing the former Houston Rockets point guard.

A deal is expected to happen over the course of the next few days as Lawson’s representatives continue communications with the Pacers organization. Ty Lawson is supposed to clear waivers on Thursday and he will then become an unrestricted free agent.

Ty Lawson 2014-15 Season Highlights:

The Rockets traded for Lawson to try and boost their chances of winning the NBA championship this season. It didn’t work out that way since Lawson’s style of play didn’t fit the players on the team’s roster. Houston then decided that it would be best for both sides to reach a buy-out agreement, which would make him a free agent.

It is unknown how the Pacers will use Ty Lawson in the beginning of his time with team, or even what the team's ultimate goal with Lawson will be. It appears that Lawson's greatest role for the remainder of this season would be as the floor general for the bench.

Indiana's bench is in need of a floor general to help run their half-court sets. Also, the Pacers bench is in need of a ball handler that can create quality shot attempts for his teammates. Rodney Stuckey can make plays, but he is at his best when he can focus on scoring and not facilitating.

The Pacers have a collection of complimentary pieces on their bench that basically need someone to lead them and help them thrive. C.J. Miles and Jordan Hill are capable of creating their own offense, but they are at their best when they have a play-maker that can give them comfortable shots.

Ty Lawson 2014-15 Season Highlights (Part 2)

Lavoy Allen would be the only other player in the second unit that hasn't been discussed yet. He is purely a complimentary piece and doesn't create his own offense. It is especially crucial for Allen to have a player like Lawson as a teammate so he can get set-up for comfortable shots that he can consistently execute on.

Lawson isn't particularly known for his defense, but that shouldn't be a problem for the Pacers. Lawson will have plenty of motivation to give it his all with Indiana to help rehabilitate his image. Lawson should be very fresh for this time of year since he has been off of a team for a week and never received many minutes with the Rockets. With plenty of reason to give maximum effort, having the intangibles to be a good defender, and being fresh from fatigue, Lawson could pan out as an all-around player for the Pacers.

The Pacers have been wanting a floor general type point guard for years now. With a dry free agent point guard market outside of Mike Conley, the Pacers don't have many options to get a floor general outside of Ty Lawson. The only other way that the Pacers could acquire a floor general point guard would be from a trade, but the team wants to contend for a title in 2016-17 so they wouldn't be willing to give up many assets.

This situation appears to be a great low risk, high reward scenario. Lawson is 28 years old and is coming off an impressive 2014-15 season, but his stint with Houston damaged his stock. The hope is that Lawson will be able to find his form from his Denver days and be a piece that can help the future of the franchise. There aren't many options that the Pacers can take to obtain their desires of a floor general outside of Lawson, so it is a risk worth taking. This move appears to have high potential for the future, but it could lead to immediate results in 2015-16. Indiana clearly needs a boost to help climb the Eastern Conference standings and Lawson could be exactly that.

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About the author
Grant Afseth
Indianapolis sports fan living in Dallas, Texas.