The Houston Rockets are looking at trades for Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin and the team may have one ready with the New Orleans Pelicans for a future NBA lottery draft pick and this could be the first move of many as the team tries to sign Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James to form a Big 3 with James Harden and Dwight Howard.
The Pelicans have long been interested in Asik and they were mentioned as a destination for him last season and now the Rockets could pull off the deal. According to Yahoo Sports the Pelicans are looking at pulling off the trade ahead of the start of free agency and this is a big move for the Rockets, as they need to clear cap space to sign other free agents. Some reports have the team looking to move James Harden to sign Anthony and James, but they still would need to trade Asik and likely Lin first before doing that.
Asik comes in after having an up and down season that saw him benched because Dwight Howard was there and he had his stats cut in half. The year before he averaged a double-double and was one of the most consistent players in the league and he has a $15 million poison pill contract and is worth $8.4 million and the Pelicans now have the chance to add Asik alongside Anthony Davis and solid front line.
The Rockets are trying to clear space and this is one way to do it and the pick likely will be a 2015 selection. The Rockets feel they are a move or two away from a championship run and they are looking to sign James and Anthony.
