The Atlanta Hawks made some solid additions in free agency this offseason, but after losing Josh Smith to the Pistons the team is lacking some star power and as they have interest in Greg Oden, one option could be to trade for Omer Asik from the Rockets if the center decides to sign with the Mavericks, Pelicans, Heat or Spurs.
Oden, according to reports, is meeting with Dallas, New Orleans, Miami and San Antonio for workouts and the Hawks are also involved and will see him workout this week as well. Oden would be a solid addition to the team, but if that doesn't work out, the Hawks could make a move to trade for Asik, according to Yahoo Sports. The team had slight interest in him after he initially expressed anger at the Rockets signing Dwight Howard, but things have cooled since then. Asik is one of the most consistent centers in the league and he said that he wanted to be traded after the signing, but so far the Rockets have not been interested.
Asik started 82 games last season and averaged 10.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game and since the Rockets signed Howard and Omri Casspi to a contract, they may feel that Asik can move without losing much. The Wizards expressed interest in Asik as well and the Hawks could be a good partner with some of the contracts they can trade. Casspi can provide some solid depth on the bench for the Rockets and that could mean Asik is on his way out. Casspi played for the Cavs last season and now he joins the Rockets core that includes Chandler Parsons and James Harden.
The Rockets said that they want to work things out with Asik, but that could change if the team gets a deal they like. GM Daryl Morey is not afraid to deal anybody to get better and while the team feels that Asik and Howard can play together, clearly the center disagrees and the Rockets may feel that it is better to get that issue out of the way rather than let it fester, kind of how things went in LA for Howard and the team wants to avoid that.
Asik has $20 million left on his contract and what happens with Oden could dictate what happens with Asik. Oden has played in just 82 games in his career after dealing with knee injuries and the former number one overall pick is still just 25-years-old and could help a contender if he can stay healthy. The Mavericks have been interested in him since losing Andrew Bynum to the Cavs, but after signing Samuel Dalembert, they may wait it out and see where Oden signs. The Kings and Pelicans are also interested, but the Spurs and Heat appear to be favorites.
