The Houston Rockets made the biggest splash in free agency by signing Dwight Howard away from the Los Angeles Lakers and as the team moves towards training camp, they may have some moves to make after initially looking at a deal with the Pelicans for center Omer Asik.
The two teams had preliminary talks in early July, but after no real movement came from that, there is a good chance that the team reconsiders the deal as the summer moves on. The talks came from Asik wanting a deal out of Houston after the team signed Howard because he feels that he is a starter and proved himself last season and he didn't like the idea of playing behind Howard. The deal with the Pelicans, according to Yahoo Sports, was for Ryan Anderson and after the Rockets signed Marcus Camby, there is a chance that they would look at the deal again before the season starts.
Following the signing of Howard and Asik asking for a trade, both GM Daryl Morey and coach Kevin McHale said that they hoped to work things out with the center and while that may still be the case, the team may look at the situation as an opportunity to move a disgruntled player and get back some value in return. The team has put together a solid roster around Howard and the Pelicans have made some big moves as well, adding Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday and now they have the chance to add one of the top centers in the game.
The Pelicans appear to be the finalists for Greg Oden along with the Miami Heat and if he decides to play in South Beach, the Asik move will heat up again for both sides. The Rockets love Asik and what he did last season, but if he is disgruntled they may want to move him since Howard can be sort of a baby as evidenced by last season with the Lakers and they might not want that presence in the locker room. The Pelicans have a glut of guard players with Holiday and Eric Gordon and he could be involved in a deal as well.
Earlier in the offseason both Asik and Jeremy Lin were on the trading block and as things move towards training camp, something could go down, much like how the Thunder traded James Harden to the Rockets right before the season started. Asik was one of the most consistent players in the NBA last season while playing in 82 games and after averaging 10.1 points and 11.7 rebounds, he wants to continue starting in the league. Anderson could be a solid addition to the Rockets, as he averaged a very respectable 16.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last year.
Asik averaged over a block a game and the Rockets defense likely will improve this season with Howard and although the team doesn't want to deal Asik, it might end up better than keeping a player who does not want to be there. The center still has $20 million owed to him over two years so that could toss a wrench into things, but depending on how his mindset is coming into the season, the team could make a move. The Pelicans side may hinge on Oden, as they wait to see what he does and if he picks the Heat there is a chance that at least some movement will start on the deal.
