Rockets Make Lin & Asik Available

[Jordan45822]

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/ken-b ... -in-trades

Sources: Confident Rockets make Asik, Lin available in trades
June 30, 2013 8:47 pm ET

Emboldened by their pursuit of free agent Dwight Howard, the Rockets have called several teams and made Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin available in potential trades, league sources told CBSSports.com.

Houston has secured the first meeting with Howard shortly after the NBA's free-agent negotiating period begins at 12:01 a.m. ET Monday. A contingent led by GM Daryl Morey and former Rocket Hakeem Olajuwon is scheduled to meet with Howard in Los Angeles. The Mavericks, Hawks and Warriors also have meetings scheduled with Howard, and the Lakers will get to make the final pitch on Tuesday, sources said.

The Rockets are oozing with confidence that they will lure Howard from the Lakers, and are making contingency plans to construct the team around him.

"They already have him, if you talk to them," one league source said.

If the Rockets land Howard, Asik would become expendable. One potential destination that rival executives have identified is Philadelphia, where former Rockets executive Sam Hinkie is the Sixers' new general manager.

Hinkie was part of the Houston front office that scored both Asik and Lin with backloaded offer sheets as restricted free agents last summer. If the Knicks (Lin) and Bulls (Asik) had chosen to match the respective offer sheets, they would've had to structure their deals with $15 million "balloon" payments in the third year. But the Rockets only needed to account for the average of the three-year, $25.1 million deals -- $8.375 million per year, a manageable number for a starting center and point guard, respectively.

Rival teams say the Rockets are making Lin available, as well, though they'd have to get a starting point guard in return. As part of their cap-clearing maneuvers to land Howard, Houston waived Aaron Brooks and Carlos Delfino on Sunday. The Rockets are off the hook for Delfino's $3 million salary, which was non-guaranteed.

Teams believe the Rockets will move both Asik and Lin if they close the deal with Howard this week. Lin, whose acquisition last summer was heralded as a coup, was not invited to Houston's pitch meeting with Howard, sources said.

The final order of business to clear cap room for Howard -- whose signing, if he agrees to go to Houston, wouldn't be official until July 10 -- was accomplished Sunday when the Rockets agreed to trade Thomas Robinson to Portland. Houston will get two future second-round picks and the rights to Kostas Papanikolaou and Marko Todorovic, league sources confirmed.

The deal, which sheds Robinson's $6.9 million guaranteed over the next two seasons, can't be made official until July 10, but it clears the final cap room needed to offer Howard a four-year max deal.

[NekiEcko]

I thnk Atlanta should try to make a jump for Asik, if we dont get D12, we need to get a C for Al Horford, seriously.

[Chicago-Bull-E]

Bulls should right their wrong and nab Asik. Would their tpe be enough?

[Mr. E]

Man...Houston is ground zero for this off-season!

[bryanoid]

I thnk Atlanta should try to make a jump for Asik, if we dont get D12, we need to get a C for Al Horford, seriously.

Exactly what I was thinking as soon as I read it. Would make a lot of sense for Atlanta.

[LobCityClips]

Butler+Bledsoe for Asik.

[poeman]

Asik has great value...Lin with that poison pill does not

[XtotheDeezy]

It's going to be interesting if Houston clears it all up and then Dwight re-signs with the Lakers.

[Mr. Dynomite!]

Houston needs to be very careful here. Dwight isn't the most dependable guy to rely on confirmation.

I thnk Atlanta should try to make a jump for Asik, if we dont get D12, we need to get a C for Al Horford, seriously.

Hawks should tank if they don't get Dwight.

[Altered_Beast]

no brainer to try and trade lin, backup pg at best. asik is really good but thats the price youll have to pay for howard. hes not a backup center hence there will be teams willing to give up some good players for asik.

morey puttin in dat work

[LikeABosh]

Bulls should right their wrong and nab Asik. Would their tpe be enough?

Trade for Asik, trade Noah for Aldridge

[Mr. Dynomite!]

I thnk Atlanta should try to make a jump for Asik, if we dont get D12, we need to get a C for Al Horford, seriously.

Exactly what I was thinking as soon as I read it. Would make a lot of sense for Atlanta.

How if they are in tank mode? I guess if they gave future second rounders for him.

[Jazzfan12]

Asik for Ryan Anderson looks the most perfect trade possible on paper.

[mademan]

Houston must be pretty certain they're getting howard...

[Mr. E]

Houston needs to be very careful here. Dwight isn't the most dependable guy to rely on confirmation.

Making them available does not mean that they would make a move before they secured Dwight. If the Rockets don't get Dwight then I doubt that they move either.

I don't think that Houston wants to move either guy, but I've been a Rockets fan long enough to know that hardly anyone on a roster is not being shopped on some level. Pretty much the only guys I think that the Rockets are not shopping on some level are Harden & Parsons.

[Nowitness]

If they don't get Dwight.......

[EntropyPR]

It's gonna be quite sad and hilarious if they don't get Howard.

[WaffleRecord]

Isn't Asik one of the players Dwight wants to play with?

[jamesnamida]

They need to trade lin for a pg who shoots well, since only parson is a good shooter out of Their 1,2,3.
And you need shooters for Dwight.

[Mr. E]

It's gonna be quite sad and hilarious if they don't get Howard.

Why? They'll still have a core of Harden, Lin, Parsons and Asik which already made the playoffs plus a ton of flexibility moving forward.