The Houston Rockets are moving forward with their plans to trade Omer Asik and movement on a deal is stepping up says ESPN, as the team is looking to trade him by December 19 and the top option appears to be the Portland Trail Blazers for Robin Lopez or the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Pelicans or Philadelphia 76ers.
ESPN.com reports that the team wants to be able to package players acquired in a deal and they can do that at the trade deadline if the deal is made for Dec 19. The Rockets are having a solid season after signing Dwight Howard as a free agent over the summer and now the team is dealing with some personnel issues, as center Omer Asik is asking for a trade and so far the team has not been able to find a partner, as reports say that the Rockets want two first round draft picks and teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, NY Knicks and Chicago Bulls could be options.
Asik has reportedly been asking for a trade since the summer and after asking once again when his starting position and playing time were cut down and now reports have come out that the team has a high demand for Asik. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the MSG network reports that the Rockets are asking for two first round picks in return for Asik and that asking price may be too high for teams like the Knicks and the Mavericks. The report says that Asik is one of the top names that could get traded this season and that Houston is asking for a lot in return, as they feel Asik is an All-Star level center.
The Rockets likely will come down from that asking price and it also signals that the team will not just give away Asik because he is disgruntled. Last season Asik averaged a double-double while playing in all 82 games and while he has not been as big of a factor this season with Dwight Howard in the fold, he is still a big asset and that means teams looking to trade for him will have to give up quite a bit to make a deal happen.
The Rockets are smart when it comes to trades for the most part, as they have pulled off some interesting moves over the past couple seasons with Thomas Robinson as well as James Harden and now they are positioning themselves to make a move later down the line when the trading deadline gets closer. The Knicks are an interesting option since they have lost Tyson Chandler, but the team doesn't have the draft picks to make that move and the Rockets feel hanging onto Asik is a more valuable idea, as he has two years and $20 million left on his deal and that is manageable and that could mean he sticks around for a while.