The Houston Rockets are desperate to get rid of Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, not because of talent, but because of money. Both players are signed to inflated contracts that are taking up a large portion of their salary cap space and hurting potential offseason moves. As they try and land a big name like Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Love, one or both of the pairing must go. So as the Rockets start to sort out potential buyers, could the Los Angeles Lakers be interested?
Right now, the Lakers are looking to trade up in the NBA draft. Currently holding on to the No. 7 pick, they are aiming to be sellers in order to get a big name like Joel Ebiid or Jabari Parker depending on what happens with the No. 1 overall pick. However, if that move fails, they could try and seek out other options. According to Jabari David of Basketball Insiders, Los Angeles could make a deal for Asik and Lin as their backup option.
The Rockets will get desperate enough to lower the price tag on both players. The team has been shopping Lin and Asik since the last offseason in hopes of not paying them their contracts, but were asking too much for other teams to make the move. Dais notes that Asik and Lin are both capable of being starters and can essentially serve as one-year rentals since their contracts expire at the end of the year. If the Lakers can get them both without having to trade away a lottery pick then the move is a win-win for the team.
Right now, the Lakers are dealing with uncertainty in Steve Nash's health and losing Pau Gasol to free agency. Lin and Asik would serve well as substitutes for the year, allowing the Lakers to clear them off the books at the end of the season and make a real run in the 2015 free agency pool when their cap space situation is better.
The Lakers have other targets in mind as they continue to keep their options open leading into the offseason. Andrew Bynum has announced he would ideally like to return to the Lakers. The center played his best basketball in Los Angeles before essentially disappearing in both Philadelphia and Indiana. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the Lakers would not make that move unless they were absolutely certain Bynum would actually play.
The Lakers have also been linked to Eric Bledsoe, Kyle Lowry and Lance Stephenson during the offseason. The team is limited with what moves they can make. Getting players through trades might be the only options.
