Omer Asik has been mentioned in trade rumors since Dwight Howard was signed and now the Atlanta Hawks could deal for him with Paul Millsap and Al Horford as options for the Houston Rockets, while the Portland Trail Blazers, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans could be potential destinations as well.
Asik has been on the mend for a while after being injured in December and he has been back in action just in time for the trade deadline and that could lead him to get moved. According to the Houston Chronicle, Asik has been looking better each day in practice and on game nights, as he was able to play more than 10 minutes in the past two wins against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks and he put up decent numbers in those matchups, including five boards against the Bucks and six against the Wolves.
Asik has been mentioned in trade rumors for quite some time and this comes after a deal in December nearly sent him to the Boston Celtics, but that fell apart after the two sides could not work out draft picks to send over. Asik is one of the top trade targets at the deadline and this comes after the team signed Dwight Howard in the offseason and after Asik lost his starting job and was placed on the bench. Asik has been playing more now, but for a while his role was not really defined and while Kevin McHale had said that Howard and Asik could co-exist, the team ditched that idea after a while and comes after Asik averaged 10 points and 11 rebounds last season.
The Hawks had been mentioned as a possible destination for Asik and so has the Pelicans, but another team that could be interesting is the Portland Trail Blazers. The team has faded a bit in the west down to fifth after being second for a while and now they could look to make a move after the All-Star break to gear up for a playoff run, because they are almost a lock to make it from where they are in the standings now. The team has some chips to offer, while the Hawks could look to trade Millsap after just signing him, as Asik could be a good fit for the Hawks. The team is in the top part of the east and could look to make a move. Asik is a great defensive center and while Daryl Morey said that the team could hold on to Asik for the remainder of his contract, if he gets a good deal he could pull the trigger.
