Latest On Omer Asik, Rockets

With Omer Asik unhappy and demanding a trade on a weekly basis, the Rockets are surveying their options. Word is that they’re not boxing themselves into a specific position to target in a deal and they’re instead just looking for a difference-maker of any size, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

All indications are that Houston is still in the early stages of working through their Asik options, because even though he is a proven defensive anchor who protects the rim and gets boards, his offensive limitations hurt his value. There’s also sentiment within the organization that Asik is the club’s third-best player and with that mindset, they surely don’t want to give him away for nothing.

On top of that, there should be other options on the trade block including Iman Shumpert, Derrick Williams, Arron Afflalo and Jameer Nelson. In fact, Shump and the Knicks both concede that a trade is inevitable, league sources tell Stein. Despite all of the roadblocks, Stein expects Houston to find a new home for Asik between December 15th – the date when many trade restrictions are lifted – and the February trade deadline.

It remains to be seen where Asik is traded to, but Stein says not to expect a deal with New Orleans involving Ryan Anderson. The Pelicans are high on Anderson and believe that he’s a better fit for their offense than Asik. He’s also much more affordable – he still has two years left on his four-year, $34MM pact while Asik’s salary balloons to $15MM next season.