Report: Rockets confident they can trade Jeremy Lin and Asik

[MKL]

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/ ... omer-asik/

From the moment the Rockets signed Dwight Howard until the trade deadline, the Omer Asik trade saga went on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and… You get the idea.

But through all the rumors and reports and discussions, Houston never found an acceptable deal.

Though Jeremy Lin didn’t come up in trade talks as often, there were at least a couple inquiries. No deal for him either.

If the Rockets have their eyes on LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Love or any other star who might – but probably won’t – be available this offseason, trading Asik and/or Lin is the simplest way to facilitate it.

Can Houston trade those two?

Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets:

According to an individual familiar with the Rockets’ plans, they are confident they would be able to move Lin and Asik’s contracts because unlike their failed efforts to trade Asik last season, they would be looking to clear cap room, rather than bring back rotation players with similar contracts .

Not asking for assets in return for Asik and Lin will help – there was a lot of grumbling about Houston’s asking price for Asik – but that might not be enough. Asik and Lin will each get paid $14,898,938 next season – a tough pill for a team to swallow if trading for them, even though their cap numbers ($8,374,646 each) are fairly reasonable.

Making the task tougher, Houston might have to narrow their pool of trade partners specifically to the team on the other end of a sign-and-trade. If they were focused on maximizing cap space this summer by trading Asik and Lin to any team that will take them, the Rockets wouldn’t decline Chandler Parsons’ team option. By doing that, they’re raising Parsons’ cap number from $964,750 to $2,875,130 when free agency begins – and it will only go up from there once Parsons signs.

Simply, Houston is not close to gaining enough cap space to sign one of its coveted stars. By declining Parsons’ option, the Rockets are moving even further from that goal.

Even if they trade Asik and Lin and take back no additional salary, they’d be projected to have just $14,321,273 in cap room. By comparison, here are the maximum starting salaries for their top target if each becomes a free agent this offseason:

LeBron: $20,659,633
Bosh: $20,659,633
Melo: $22,458,402
Nowitzki: $23,857,450

Unless the Rockets are aiming lower in the free-agent pool or have more up their sleeves – both of which are certainly possible – they’re not really gaining ground by trading Asik and Lin.

Unless it’s a sign-and-trade with Lin and Asik going out, which would allow the Rockets to take back a player with a higher salary than they could get with the aforementioned cap-room route. But the other team would have to accept paying Asik and nearly $15 million each next year. And we’re back to square one, where trading them in a worthwhile deal won’t be easy.

[texasholdem]

We should just refer to them as LASIK. I hope we don't trade them just for the sake of trading them. I understand the reasoning but it would suck to trade them away and just get empty cap space in return (I mean we miss out on a star level free agent).

[90sAllDecade]

If we're just clearing cap-space for a third star, I think we have a solid chance at offloading them. The cap is increasing this year and the teams would only eat the salary for one year as expiring contracts next year.

I'm not an cap/contract expert, but couldn't the other team negotiate and sign them to lesser paying extensions so it's not as bad a hit long term? Or perhaps a sign and trade to iron things out?

Also any scenario with a team losing a star would likely want something in return rather than losing a guy who wants to leave for nothing. Three team deals are possible too.

I may be wrong, but I'm guessing the author seems to put a kind of unnecessary negative spin into things. LeBron is one thing, but I highly doubt we'd pay Dirk max money or even Bosh. Melo said he'd take less money to win, but if we offloaded guys, there's likely room to maneuver either way.

I'm looking at team contracts and almost every playoff team (our potential trading partners for Asik & Lin) comfortably decided to go over the cap this year to win as well as some non playoff teams.

Also who says Les won't go over the cap if we have three stars helping revenue?

The cap increases next year and the Rockets were fine with going over the cap this year. If we offload players I don't know if the cap boogie monster is as big as the author is making it seem.

[hayden]

is lacking a 3rd star really the problem with our roster? lol

i mean, we freaking lost to portland in the first round... whose two stars are lesser than our two stars.

how about finding better role players for our stars or finding a head coach that can make use of a talented bench.

[MaxRider]

as long as morey isn't asking any pick or value players in return of course he can trade them

[rocketsballin]

first off doesnt matter who we get, if the coaching staff will allow the same one-on-one basketball next season rockets wont get far.

morey has to trade ONE OF THEM for the rockets do have a chance to contend next seaosn. i dont care who, just as long as we fill the gap with whoever is traded

[baki]

And this is why I did not approve of the Howard trade (or Harden), neither of them could get us over the 1st round and the only reason why we have to get a third "superstar" when we don't have any to begin with is because we have a coach who needs another guy who can play among themselves so that he doesn't have to coach!

[ChokeFasncists]

Duh...of course we can unload them for nothing, they are good players; just unfortunately have the moronic coach destroyed their trade value.

[inquisitive]

don't need a 3rd star....just some quality role players...need depth

[red32]

I wanna see this current team kick other teams', with their stars, asses.

[moofs]

I wanna see this current team kick other teams', with their stars, asses.

I call dibs on red10.667

[cw3k]

Please trade them. Hate to see 2 good players not being fully utilize because of an incompetent headcoach.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[SilkkyJohnson]

I hope Morey can trade Asik and Lin and then find a way to get Lowry and Paul Milsap here.

[SilkkyJohnson]

I wanna see this current team kick other teams', with their stars, asses.

I call dibs on red10.667

Ha. I was going to use red90 as my username name but I felt there were a few too many red's on realgm.

[RollingWave]

These reports have been around forever, I just can't see it happening, I could see Asik maybe being traded because he obviously wants out, but moving both is both technically difficult and the theoretical moves that this is suppose to accommodate seems far fetched at best.

[baki]

Trade the coach first then we'll see a better result.

[13th Man]

The most logical trade scenario without getting too creative would would be Lin + Asik + (solid player not Parsons) and/or picks for Melo + filler imo. He's a bonafide star, the Knicks could afford to take on the poison pills since they're unloading a max contract (excuse me if this is wrong since I'm not an expert with contracts), and one of the few teams that would happily take on Lin for possible Linsanity 2.0. Only issue would be if Lin would be a good fit in the triangle offense but that could be worked out later, the Knicks do need a PG better than Felton though. The Knicks would be in a rebuilding process so they would hope to re-sign Lin and Asik to fresh contracts after next year.

The Rockets would be laughing if they can get a 3rd star and keep Parsons for his remaining year, next year would be the year that they gun for it all though.

[MaxRider]

The most logical trade scenario without getting too creative would would be Lin + Asik + (solid player not Parsons) and/or picks for Melo + filler imo. He's a bonafide star, the Knicks could afford to take on the poison pills since they're unloading a max contract (excuse me if this is wrong since I'm not an expert with contracts), and one of the few teams that would happily take on Lin for possible Linsanity 2.0. Only issue would be if Lin would be a good fit in the triangle offense but that could be worked out later, the Knicks do need a PG better than Felton though. The Knicks would be in a rebuilding process so they would hope to re-sign Lin and Asik to fresh contracts after next year.

The Rockets would be laughing if they can get a 3rd star and keep Parsons for his remaining year, next year would be the year that they gun for it all though.

Phil Jackson is in charge now
even though he's a rookie in managing a team but he is not that stupid to take back that many salary without getting future lottery picks in return (our future picks will be in 20s)
we have better chance Melo leave and sign a lesser contract elsewhere than NYK do a sign-and-trade without Parsons
unless Dolan overrule again
NYK don't even have a coach now
i think Melo is really going to leave
i really think he's willing to accept lesser money to come here if we can clear enough cap room to give him reasonable contract (17-18M starting salary)

[BaYBaller]

I highly doubt if nyk end up trading melo it will be asik + Lin + filler. It'd have to be a multi team mega deal, or separate smaller deals where nyk get some lottery picks.

[texasholdem]

Houston trades: Asik + Lin (combined cap hit of $16,749,292) to Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Garnett and Mirza Teletovic (combined cap hit of $15,368,100)

Brooklyn's owner doesn't really care about the cap or tax as they have a payroll of $102m this past season and $90m next season so LAsik's $32m combined salary is not a big deal as with some other franchises.

If Garnett retires this offseason then that's $12 million freed up and basically trading Lin and Asik for Teletovic's $3m expiring contract.

If Garnett doesn't retire he can still be a veteran backup center/pf and would be good asset at the trade deadline

Teletovic could be the new Turkoglu for Dwight. I wouldn't mind him starting next to Parsons with TJ off the bench.

Rockets
F: Parsons/Paul Pierce (UFA)
F: Teletovic/Jones/Patric Young (draft pick)
C: Howard/Garnett?/Motiejunas
G: Beverley/Canaan
G: Harden/Daniels

Nets
F: Livingston (FA)/Kirilenko
F: Plumlee/Blatche (FA)
C: Lopez/Asik
G: DWill/Lin
G:Johnson/Thornton

Lopez and Asik can even play together as twin towers since Lopez has a good jumper.