The NBA trade market is hot. No player has had more rumors swirling around him than Omer Asik and the center could finally be getting his wish of a trade sooner rather than later. Asik has been unhappy with the Houston Rockets ever since Dwight Howard came in and pushed the center to the bench. He has requested and been denied deal after deal, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are now emerging as a possible partner.
TNT's David Aldridge is reporting that the Rockets intend on trading Asik sometime next week with the Cavaliers being the number one option in a trade deal. Anderson Varejao is being offered up for the center. Aldridge went into detail saying that Varejao was the perfect target since the veteran can still play quality basketball, but is comfortable coming off the bench and being a compliment to Howard. Asik was not ok with this role.
The pairing of Asik and Howard has been a disappointment from the jump. The two have failed to function while both being on the court. While the defense is not really the issue, both Asik and Howard are not scoring when playing together. In 93 minutes of being on the court together, Houston has scored just 87.3 points per 100 possessions. Having one big man on the court appears to suit the team better.
For both teams, this trade makes no sense. Sure, Varejao is the better of the two this season, but there is no telling if he can function with Howard. For the Cavaliers, they already have Andrew Bynum. While he is a health risk, he is showing signs of life this year. Can Asik function well with Bynum after failing to do so with Howard? Asik is certainly not playing that great this year, mainly due to being a disgruntled bench player, but the Cavaliers do not really have a need for him.
The trade package could get interesting. The Rockets have reportedly been searching for quality in return for Asik. They have requested an impact player along with a first-round draft pick. Varejao could be considering an impact player, but is giving up a top draft pick worth it for the Cavaliers? They would likely need a third team to get involved to make this trade worth everyone's time.
