Nov 23, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Omer Asik (3) during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Sports
It’s been thought for some time that Omer Asik’s days in a Houston Rockets uniform — or gazing sadly from the end of the bench — are numbered.
He doesn’t want to be there and the Rockets have already said that they were going to try and trade him before the trade deadline. With that said, CBS Sports’ Ken Berger had an interesting sentence in his “most likely to get traded” list on Friday. Even though he had Asik listed at the top, he also added this tidbit:
"The limiting factor, of course, is that while Asik counts only $8.4 million against the cap/tax, his actual salary next season is $15 million. Given those constraints and Asik’s sad-sack demeanor, one rival GM described the Rockets as “delusional” as far as their asking price for him."
The Rockets are, reportedly, asking for an “impact player” or a 2014 lottery draft pick in return.
It’s evident that it won’t be as easy to trade him as originally thought. The biggest indication of that? The fact that Asik is back in the rotation.
This could drag a bit. Buckle up, Rockets fans.