The Houston Rockets are in the thick of things in the west and trade rumors will continue to dominate the headlines as the deadline gets closer and Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin both have been getting mentioned in possible deals and some options could be with the New Orleans Pelicans for Eric Gordon or Tyreke Evans or with the Pacers for Danny Granger.
The Rockets and Asik appear destined for a split and while it has taken awhile for deals to take shape, he is a player that should move and teams like the Pelicans, Suns and Hawks could be fits for the big man. Last season Asik was one of the best players in the NBA while averaging over 10 points and 11 rebounds per game and now he has been marginalized by Dwight Howard and his numbers have plummeted. The Celtics and the Rockets almost had a deal in place earlier in the offseason, but that fell apart and now he could be on his way out west instead.
The Pelicans have been rumored to be looking for a big man in a trade and it comes after both Ryan Anderson and Jason Smith were injured this year. The Pelicans had expectations of making the playoffs after trading for Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday, but after those injuries and also to Anthony Davis, the team is struggling in the west and with the conference being so deep, the team could be out of contention very soon. The Pacers seem content to keep Danny Granger for now, but his expiring contract will look very attractive to teams and that makes the Rockets interesting here, as they could add him for more depth heading down the stretch since they barely use Asik anyway.
According to ESPN.com and the Daily News, the Pelicans are willing to trade Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans in deals and that makes an interesting play with the Rockets. The team could package Asik and his two year deal alone, or with Jeremy Lin for someone like Evans and/or Anderson, or he could be replaced with Gordon in a move and one benefit for the Pelicans is the draft picks they have and that could spark the team to make a move.
The Pelicans originally kept Gordon as a restricted free agent when he tried to sign with the Suns, mating that four-year, $58 million offer sheet and now they are looking to deal him. Gordon has massive potential, but he has missed over 120 games over the past few seasons and now he comes into the deadline as a possible trade chip. The report says that the Pelicans are looking to build around Holiday and Anthony Davis, so they are off the table, while Evans is looked at as the expendable one.
The Rockets are second in their division with a 28-15 record this season and they are coming off of a nice win over the Trail Blazers, who have been one of the most surprising teams in the league. The Rockets have some defensive issues, although they are tops in scoring and rebounding, ranking in the top 10 of the league in both categories behind Dwight Howard and James Harden.