The Houston Rockets have been one of the most solid teams in the western conference this season after starting 22-13, but the team still feels that there are moves to make to give the team a championship run and with Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin has trading chips, names like Danny Granger, Anderson Varejao, Spencer Hawes or Evan Turner could be options at the deadline.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Rockets are still looking to trade Asik by the deadline after a deal with the Boston Celtics fell through earlier in the season and the report also says that while they are not "actively looking" to trade Lin, the team would listen to offers for the point guard. The Rockets have an injury to Patrick Beverley to deal with, but they have liked the way the young star has played along with Aaron Brooks and that is why they could afford to trade and the names in Danny Granger, Anderson Varejao and Spencer Hawes all could help add depth and talent to the roster.
James Harden and Dwight Howard have both been playing very well this season and the team is coming off of a close win over the Knicks and now they are playing the Lakers on Wednesday night. According to Yahoo Sports, the Rockets may be making a number of moves apart from just Asik, as Donatas Motiejunas wants a trade and requested one from the team and that comes after Asik did the same earlier in the season and the reason he asked for it was due to his role on the team. Asik has made similar demands after the team started using Terrence Jones and Omri Casspi more and now both players could end up getting traded down the line.
Motiejunas has been in 17 games this season and averaged just nine points per game and now he could be moved with Asik to another team in a deal or in a separate trade. Asik has been dealing with a knee injury, but it's not serious and one trade that could be interesting is with the Sixers, as they are in rebuilding mode and with Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young possibly getting moved, Asik has been mentioned as a possible option for the Sixers.
The Rockets rank fourth in scoring and sixth in rebounds per game, but their offense has been inconsistent at times this season and with Asik not being used like he did last season, it would make sense for the team to get some players that actually contribute. The team has pushed Asik aside despite the fact that he played in 82 games last season and averaged a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, but he lost his starting job this season and has not factored in much and with the Rockets looking to win a title, they need a deeper bench and more role players.
Granger has not had much heat on the trading market yet, but that likely will change as the deadline gets closer. Luol Deng was just moved and with just over a month left until the deadline, expect teams to start making calls.