The NBA trade deadline is coming and with rumors popping up every day until the February 20 deadline, Houston Rockets center Omer Asik is one player to watch closely, as he could be a trade target for teams like the Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns or New Orleans Pelicans.
Asik comes into the trading deadline as a prime target, as the team already has Dwight Howard and since he signed over the summer, reports have been coming out about the possibility that Asik will be traded. Asik might as well be the new Pau Gasol, as he has been pulled back and forth from the trading block multiple times this season and after reportedly requesting multiple trades during the year, he could be on the move near the February 20 deadline.
Daryl Morey and the Rockets have shown that they are not afraid to take chances are make moves, as they traded for James Harden suddenly, pulled off the Thomas Robinson move to get Howard and they of course signed Jeremy Lin to a huge contract despite the point guard being an unproven player. All this sets the stage for Morey to do something at the deadline that not everyone expects and there is a good chance he will opt to deal Asik.
The Rockets have marginalized Asik since Howard was signed and while the team at first said that both players would be in the lineup at the same time, Morey and coach Kevin McHale quickly scrapped that when they felt the flow of the offense wasn't working properly. After Asik was benched and his minutes cut earlier in the season, the center reportedly asked for a trade through his agent internally and while the Rockets initially did not try and look for a trade, the team soon was close with the Boston Celtics.
Asik nearly went to Boston in a deal earlier in the season, but the Rockets wanted first round picks for him and the Celtics were not willing to give that up and now Houston must decide what the future is for both sides. The team is trying to win a championship this year and Asik is a double-double type player that averaged 10 points and 11 rebounds and over a block a game last season while playing in all 82 on the schedule and now he is injured and averaging just four points and six rebounds per game with less than a clock and his minutes have been dropped as well, as he is averaging just 18 this season and he has now not played in a game since December.
The Suns are a team that has been very surprising in the west and they could jump in on a deal for him, as they have extra picks and feel that they can make a playoff run this season. The Suns know they aren't championship contenders, but they feel that the future is now with Eric Gordon and Goran Dragic and they could jump in. Another fit reported by ESPN.com and SB Nation are the Atlanta Hawks and a name like Paul Millsap has come up and that could be something to explore as well. The Pelicans have also been mentioned, but with Ryan Anderson injured that may not go down.