Omer Asik has come up in trade rumors once again and the Houston Rockets could look to move him to the Philadelphia Sixers, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks or San Antonio Spurs at the trade deadline after Daryl Morey said the center may end up remaining with the team through his contract.
Asik has come up in trade rumors since the summer and as the Thursday deadline sate gets closer, teams could be more motivated to meet the asking price of the Rockets. That has been the primary issue for the team so far, as they were close to deals with the Boston Celtics and Sixers, but Houston was not satisfied with the compensation, as Daryl Morey wants draft picks. According to Yahoo Sports, the Rockets have put too much value on Asik for a team to trade for him most likely, although that could change with the deadline so close.
Asik is under team control through next season and he is owed a bit of money going forward with $15 million coming his way and that is another issue for teams looking to trade for him. A three team deal would be more favorable to teams and Morey may have to get off the "first round pick or else" feeling if he actually wants to get a deal done. The Rockets have totally screwed up the situation with Asik, as he was one of the best centers in the league last season and now he is relegated to nothing more than a bench player. The team said after they signed Dwight Howard that Asik and DH would get used on the floor at the same time and after trying that for a couple weeks, it was ditched and his starting spot was yanked.
Last season he averaged 10 points and 11 rebounds while playing in all 82 games on the schedule and this season those numbers have been basically cut in half and he also has dealt with an injury. The Rockets would love to move him to add something that could help with a playoff run, but right now that doesn't seem likely. The Sixers are not willing to give up picks to get him, as they want picks themselves, while the Trail Blazers could be an interesting option as they try to make a playoffs push.
The Hawks were linked to a deal earlier in the season and the Rockets also have another trade chip in Donatas Motiejunas and right now their salary cap is just under $65 million as they move towards the second half of the season. The Rockets can afford to make moves with draft picks, but they do not want to give up their own first rounder and they have a second round pick, but it's conditional on the Knicks and Sixers.
According to CBS.com, the Sixers and Rockets have started up deal talks again for Asik and this time around Spencer Hawes could be involved, but there have been no sign that a deal is imminent. Making the Sixers a good trade partner is the fact that they are $11 million under the cap and that puts them in a situation where they could take on his salary of over $8 million and survive. The Rockets need to lower their asking price if a deal for Asik is what they want and while the Sixers are a good option, Sam Hinkie will not give up a first round pick to snag him, especially with the way they are rebuilding.