The Houston Rockets are looking like one of the strongest teams in the Western conference after signing Dwight Howard and now that Omer Asik has asked for a trade, the team may be in better position to facilitate one, as Marcus Camby and Mike Miller are now free agents and could help with his departure from the roster.
Miller was hit with the amnesty clause from the Miami Heat, while Camby was traded to the Toronto Raptors from the Knicks and was bought out after it was completed. Both players are receiving looks in free agency including Miller from the Cavaliers and Camby from the Clippers, Pelicans, Spurs and Bulls and now the Rockets have started to kick the wheels on both players. Factoring into the Camby interstate could be the issues with Omer Asik, as he said he was unhappy with the Howard deal and that he wants a trade.
While Camby is much older and Asik has developed into one of the best centers in the game, he still could soften the blow if the team decided to trade him. Asik played extremely well last season and started all 82 games as he proved why he is one of the best young centers in the league and he averaged a double-double with over 10 points and 11 rebounds while also hitting over 50 percent from the floor. The Rockets have already said that they do not want to trade Asik and Kevin McHale said the two could play together, but so far it appears that the center would rather have a chance of scenery.
After what happened with the Lakers and how Howard whined his way through an entire season, the Rockets should worry about the discontent with Asik, as it could negatively impact the team. The Camby deal would add another solid body to the bench behind Howard and GM Daryl Morey has shown that he is very smart with deals and he could net some value in return for Asik if the price is right and since he now is a top five center, there is a chance a deal could be very sweet.
Asik has two years and nearly $20 million left on his contract so that may make him hard to trade, but Morey was able to pull off the Howard deal and the James Harden trade last year, so he knows how to navigate the cap as good as anyone. Asik could end up in a number of places and one proposed deal was to the Wizards for Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza, as their deals could matchup with the Rockets numbers. Asik is going to be valued after averaging 10.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks and even without him, the team has a great core going forward with James Harden, Chandler Parsons and Howard in the mix.
Asik previously played for the Bulls and all the teams looking at Greg Oden could be in the mix if he signs elsewhere, including the Pelicans, Kings, Spurs and Heat. The Rockets were one of the highest scoring teams in the league last year and averaged above 105 per game and while the defense was pretty bad, adding Camby could help shave a few points off per game of their 102 average and along with Lin, who averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 assists last season, the future is bright for the Rockets.
