The Houston Rockets are getting desperate to make their big trade move in the next weeks. The team insists they are preparing a deal for center Omer Asik, but as several teams put their name in the hat, no one appears ready to make the move. As a result, Houston is considering upping the ante on their offer and could include Jeremy Lin in a package.
Lin was originally not on the table. The Rockets intended to only deal Asik. The center has not been very happy with the team after the arrival of Dwight Howard pushed him to the bench. Asik has not been putting up overwhelming numbers, failing to take advantage of his limited time on the court. Most teams see him as a one-dimensional player that is not worth the price tag Houston has placed on him.
CBSSports.com reports Lin could make the deal happen much faster. Houston could not solely trade Lin, so packing both players together could draw more serious interest as the Rockets are desperate to hurry this along. General manager Daryl Morey originally acquired both players in 2012, setting up a young core of players. They signed big three-year deals. Both contracts balloon to $15 million in 2014 which is just another reason these trades are taking their time.
Yahoo! Sports is reporting that five teams have shown interest in Asik, but not enough to give up what Houston wants which is another impact player and possibly draft compensation in return. Cleveland, Atlanta and Boston are contenders, but fear Asik's skillset is simply not big enough to give up Jeff Green, Brandon Bass or Anderson Varejao in return. Danny Ferry says the Hawks are being very guarded in the Asik sweepstakes while Cleveland denies the idea that Varejao will go in place of the center.
As a result, the Rockets must up the package. Pairing Lin with Asik makes a deal slightly more favorable, but the contracts still remain an issue. The Rockets will likely have to involve a third team no matter what. No team is going to be willing to absorb the contracts on their own. Getting a third team to take some of the burden could be the way to go. No matter what, Houston wants this trade done by Thursday. It is starting to seem like that might not be possible.
