There’s still technically a little time left for the Rockets to trade Omer Asik and still be able to regain full flexibility to flip any new players in time for February’s trade deadline. However, it appears the team’s talks are all dead for now, which means Asik figures to remain in Houston at least into the new year. After several reports expressed confidence that the Rockets would move their backup center this week, it was a little disappointing to see Houston’s self-imposed deadline come and go without a deal, but we certainly haven’t heard the last of the Asik rumors this season. Here’s a roundup of a few leftovers from this week’s drama:
- Rockets coach Kevin McHale didn’t seem at all disappointed to see Asik staying put, and sounds like he’s looking forward to getting the seven-footer back into the lineup, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. As Feigen points out, if Asik is willing to make the best of the situation, his defense and rebounding could help the Rockets more than perhaps any other player who was mentioned in recent rumors.
- A Celtics source who spoke to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald was curious about how reports of Boston’s involvement in the Asik sweepstakes gained so much traction this week, considering the two sides had little recent contact and a deal was never particularly close, according to the source.
- For the Celtics, adding Asik could’ve helped against established Eastern big men like Roy Hibbert and Brook Lopez, but the fact that talks died should have little fallout for the team, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. As Forsberg notes, Boston’s interest in Asik showed that the club is willing to consider any deal that would improve the roster without significantly compromising the franchise’s long-term flexibility.
- While Spencer Hawes was frequently cited this week as the Rockets‘ primary target in talks with the Sixers, Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers (link via Philly.com) suggests Houston had interest in Thaddeus Young as well.
- Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times reported yesterday that the Bucks will not pursue Asik in a deal. Since Woelfel’s tweet came well after news broke that this week’s talks had ended, that seems to indicate that Milwaukee won’t be in the mix even if and when discussions reopen.