Derek Fisher, the legendary L.A. Lakers point guard, has negotiated a buyout with the Houston Rockets after playing 537 consecutive NBA games.

The buyout came on Thursday, with Houston eager to get veteran Fisher on their roster–which includes mostly green players–in the hopes of improving their chances to make the playoffs; the team is currently ranked eighth in the Western Conference. They also needed to secure another point guard while Kyle Lowry recovers from a bacterial infection.

Fisher, who has spent 16 sessions with the Lakers, seemed undecided about how to proceed as the news hit the sports world and his teammates, including Kobe Bryant, who is reportedly upset to see his longtime friend leave. Fisher normally would have had 48 hours to report to Houston for a physical on order for the trade to be completed, but the Lakers and Rockets mutually agreed to extend that deadline to 72 hours, according to ESPN.com. If he clears waivers over the next few days, he will become a free agent.

Twitter feeds were flooded with speculation after the news broke as fans were hoping their team would pick Fisher up; others wonder where his loyalties lie.