Omer Asik Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets, Rockets Had Talks About Asik, Lin

December 22nd, 2013 at 9:16am CST by Chuck Myron

Plenty of teams have been linked to Omer Asik of late, but it appears the Rockets also had discussions with a team that hadn’t been rumored to be in the mix. Houston had preliminary talks with the Nets involving Omer Asik as well as Jeremy Lin, a source tells Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. Youngmisuk describes the conversations as due diligence on the part of the Rockets, and apparently Houston asked for Deron Williams in return. The Nets weren’t receptive to trading Williams since his presence in Brooklyn was one of the reasons Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett gave their blessing to the trade that brought them to the Nets this summer, Youngmisuk writes.

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com brought up a similar notion yesterday, and though it appeared that his mention of a Nets-Rockets deal for Asik was merely speculative, he might know more than he let on. Berger suggested the Nets could offer Paul Pierce and a first-round pick in return, though I doubt the Rockets would go for that.

The Rockets abandoned their efforts to trade Asik by a self-imposed deadline this week, and while GM Daryl Morey says Asik will probably remain in Houston “for quite a long time,” it still seems there’s a strong chance the Turkish center is on a new team by the trade deadline. He’d make more sense for the Nets now that they’ve lost Brook Lopez for the season. Asik’s nearly $15MM balloon payment for 2014/15 that dissuaded many teams from trading for him wouldn’t seem to be an issue for high-rolling Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, even though Lin is due the same amount next season. That would mean $30MM in actual salary, plus luxury tax penalties, for two players whose combined salary cap hits are about half that amount. Williams is due close to $18.5MM this year and $19.75MM in 2014/15, though his salary aligns with his cap hit.

The most popular response from Hoops Rumors readers in last night’s poll suggested the Nets should trade for someone in response to Lopez’s injury. It sounds like Nets GM Billy King was thinking of a trade even before the injury happened.

Southwest Notes: Asik, Rockets, Ajinca

December 20th, 2013 at 9:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

Daryl Morey hinted on SportsTalk 790 radio in Houston that an owner’s veto was to blame for the end of trade talks involving Omer Asik.

“We were definitely trying to move [Asik],” Morey said, according to Alex Kennedy’s transcription for HoopsWorld. “It was trending towards something happening, but sometimes when you get to those last approvals and the owner, I think as Houston fans know from past deals that didn’t come off that looked like they were done, they don’t happen. … You’re obviously never going to do a deal that doesn’t help the team or keep you at least even. And those didn’t present themselves.”

There’s more from the Rockets GM’s radio spot amid the latest from the Southwest Division:

Morey seemed to suggest that Asik could remain with the Rockets past the league’s February 20th trade deadline, even though that would be a surprising outcome. “It’s pretty likely that Omer is here for quite a long time,” Morey said. “A lot of the dynamics that went into things not working out don’t change, in terms of the contract and things like that. We did feel like we owed it to Omer to give a strong look at it, but nothing ended up materializing.”
New Orleans wasn’t a latecomer in scouting Alexis Ajinca, as Pelicans coach Monty Williams said GM Dell Demps and the team’s front office “have been talking about him for a while,” observes Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. The team officially announced its signing of Ajinca earlier this evening.
Ajinca’s deal is for two seasons, agent Mark Bartelstein confirms to John Reid of The Times Picayune.

Omer Asik Leftovers: Rockets, C’s, Sixers, Bucks

December 20th, 2013 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

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.

Western Notes: Asik, Thunder, Spurs, Jefferson

December 19th, 2013 at 11:01pm CST by Charlie Adams

It turned out to be Kendall Marshall making headlines tonight and not the much-discussed Omer Asik. Marshall agreed to terms with the Lakers this evening after being linked to the Grizzlies and Jazz in recent weeks. Here are some notes from around the Western Conference:

Players on the Rockets roster are glad that Asik wasn’t dealt to another club today, according to Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. Several players expressed their appreciation of the center’s talents, including James Harden: “He’s one of the best big men in the NBA, defensively as well. He complements our team so well. We’re fortunate to have him on our team.“
Speaking of the Rockets, Jeremy Lin sat down with Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld and discussed how he deals with trade rumors: “I still remember what it was like being on the edge of my seat and wondering if I was even going to be on a roster tomorrow… I’ve seen the whole Linsanity thing and I’ve seen the D-League and getting cut… I think having that wide scope of perspective helps me stay more balanced and stay more even keel through ups and downs.“
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com opines that a large reason for the success of the Thunder and Spurs comes from how responsibly the two clubs have handled their assets. Rather than trading future draft picks for quick fixes, Berger notes that the two squads have focused on player development and have set themselves up for years of winning basketball.
Richard Jefferson spoke with SiriusXM NBA Radio hosts Kenny Smith and Jason Goff and made it clear he wanted to play for a championship team, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News passes along. “If I get an opportunity to play for a championship team, I’m going to go hunting for them… I have no loyalty… I’m a gun for hire.” Jefferson is on an expiring contract but is set to make $11MM this year.
Paul Coro of AZ Central Sports examines how Jeff Hornacek‘s use of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe gives the Suns a legitimate playmaker on the floor at all times.
With so many injury problems and an overall lack of talent, Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated suggests that this might be the best time for the Lakers to blow up their roster and fully involve themselves in the rebuilding process.

Eastern Notes: Lowry, Bobcats, Cavs, Woodson

December 19th, 2013 at 6:04pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Bulls are the only team from the East that will see any action on the hardwood tonight, but that doesn’t mean other clubs from around the conference aren’t making some noise off of the court. Let’s take a look at a few notes from around the Eastern Conference..

The Raptors aren’t urgently trying to move Kyle Lowry, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reports (via Twitter). This report comes as a bit of a surprise since we heard yesterday that the club was working hard to move the veteran guard. It seems likely that Lowry will be moved before the trade deadline, but how soon remains unclear.
Nate Duncan of HoopsWorld examines the rosters of the Bobcats and Cavaliers and reveals who he thinks could be franchise players for each club.
The Knicks have won five out of their last ten games, but Marc Stein of ESPNNewYork.com reports that Mike Woodson is still on the hot seat and being evaluated on a “game-by-game basis” by upper management. Stein notes that if the Knicks had lost to the Bucks last night, it might have marked the end of Woodson’s tenure in New York.
Chauncey Billups has no desire to coach after his playing days, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald notes in his latest piece. He wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a front office gig, however.
The Bucks will not attempt to deal for Omer Asik, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. It’s not completely clear, but Woelfel might be talking about a trade in the long term since we’ve heard that Asik will remain in a Rockets uniform for the time being.
Danny Granger is returning to the Pacers’ lineup, but it’s a much different squad than the one he left, notes Candace Buckner of USA Today Sports. Buckner still sees Granger as a valuable asset to the team but suggests he will have a different role than the one he had before his injury.

Rockets End Omer Asik Trade Talks

December 19th, 2013 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets are moving away from trade talks involving Omer Asik and won’t move him today, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports echoes that report, tweeting that the Rockets intend to hang on to Asik for now. Wojnarowski also tweets that Houston has informed agent Arn Tellem that trade talks involving his client have ended.

Houston figures to revisit trade discussions, if not this week, then at least before the NBA’s actual trade deadline on February 20th. However, Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that many teams are leery of Asik’s 2014/15 balloon payment of $15MM, while Stein adds (via Twitter) that there’s a growing pessimism within the Rockets that they’ll find a trade partner.

The Rockets’ self-imposed deadline of December 19th for an Asik trade was intended to give the team the flexibility to flip players in a second deal at the trade deadline in February. However, as I explained in a piece today, there are multiple ways to circumvent the rule that restricts over-the-cap teams from trading a player within two months of acquiring him. The Rockets could theoretically complete an Asik swap in January or February and still flip any players acquired in those deals prior to the February 20th deadline, as long as the trades met certain criteria.

Before the Rockets shut down trade negotiations involving Asik, the Celtics and Sixers appeared to be the strongest contenders to land the 27-year-old. Boston was reportedly prepared to offer Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee, and a first-round pick, though the club was reluctant to make that first-rounder a 2014 pick. As for the Sixers, the Rockets were said to be targeting Spencer Hawes and a first-round pick, but there was no indication Philadelphia would have been agreeable to that package. In addition to those two clubs, the Bucks, Hawks, Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, and Pelicans were among the other teams linked to Asik within the last week. None of those teams seemed seriously in the mix as of this morning.

Although waiting until the new year to deal Asik could regain some leverage for the Rockets, there’s no guarantee of that. The seven-footer hasn’t been in the lineup recently, so his play on the court certainly hasn’t been improving his stock. Additionally, while his $15MM salary for next season is off-putting, it was somewhat balanced by the fact that he’s only earning about $5.23MM this year, despite cap hits of about $8.37MM in both years. The earlier a team acquires him, the more value that club would receive out of Asik’s reduced 2013/14 salary.

Explaining The Rockets’ Omer Asik Deadline

December 19th, 2013 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re still more than two months away from the NBA’s trade deadline, but today represents an unofficial deadline set by the Rockets, who have planned all month to trade Omer Asik by December 19th. The fact that the date comes two months and one day before the February 20th deadline isn’t coincidental. As has been written on this site and many others over the last couple weeks, dealing Asik today (or even tomorrow) would allow the players involved in that trade to be flipped to another team without restriction on February 20th.

However, this rule is more detailed than it may seem on the surface. Here’s how Larry Coon describes it in his CBA FAQ:

“[A team cannot trade a player] for two months after receiving the player in trade, if the trade aggregates the player’s salary with the salaries of other players. However, the team is free to trade the player immediately, either by himself or without aggregating his salary with other salaries. This restriction applies only to teams over the salary cap.”

In unpacking this rule, the first point worth noting is that it applies only to over-the-cap teams. The vast majority of NBA clubs, including the Rockets, are currently over the cap, but if Houston had cap space, this restriction wouldn’t even be a concern.

Secondly, anyone involved in a hypothetical Asik deal today could be flipped in another trade immediately. As Coon writes, the player must either be traded by himself or without aggregating his salary with other salaries in the second deal. So if the Rockets were to acquire Brandon Bass and Courtney Lee for Asik, Houston could theoretically send Lee out in a one-for-one trade next week.

Most of these points have been made clear leading up to the Rockets’ self-imposed December 19th deadline, but there’s one more that’s a little blurry: While teams have to wait two months after acquiring a player to aggregate his salary with other salaries in a second trade, many multiplayer deals can be completed without that actually happening. For instance, when our own Chuck Myron broke down how the Rudy Gay trade between the Raptors and Kings worked under CBA rules, he explained that from the Raptors’ perspective, the seven-player blockbuster was actually split into two smaller, parallel trades:

Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy for Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez
Gay for John Salmons and Chuck Hayes.

In other words, even though Gay was traded to Sacramento along with two teammates, his salary wasn’t aggregated with anyone else’s salary to make the deal work. Only Gray’s and Acy’s salaries were combined together. So if we were to pretend the Raptors had acquired Gay less than two months before sending him to Sacramento, Toronto still would have been allowed to flip him to the Kings, since the deal circumvents the restrictions related to this particular rule.

Making trades prior to December 20th will give teams maximum flexibility on February 20th, and setting their own deadline likely gives the Rockets some peace of mind, knowing the Asik situation should have some closure this week. But if GM Daryl Morey is unsatisfied with the offers on the table for his center and doesn’t finalize a deal by tomorrow, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Morey and the Rockets would still have the opportunity to acquire and flip players prior to the February 20th deadline — those deals would simply have to be constructed in a specific way.

Omer Asik Rumors: Thursday Morning

December 19th, 2013 at 11:38am CST by Luke Adams

There were so many updates on the Omer Asik front yesterday that we needed three posts to round them all up, and the rumor mill doesn’t figure to slow down today. December 19th represents the Rockets‘ self-imposed deadline to move their disgruntled center, and it sounds as if the team plans to stick to that goal. Here are the latest items related to the Asik sweepstakes:

The Sixers remain “very involved” in talks for Asik, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
Because this season’s trade deadline is February 20th, rather than the 19th, the Rockets have been told they could move Asik tomorrow and still re-package any involved players in February swaps. However, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports, Houston is still operating as if today is the deadline, meaning the club figures to take a step back and reconsider its options if nothing is finalized by day’s end (Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

While the Celtics are viewed as the frontrunner to land Asik, GM Danny Ainge said today on Boston sports radio that he’s been exploring deals, but doesn’t believe anything is close (link via Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston).
According to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, the Rockets are believed to have spent much of Wednesday weighing the merits of the Celtics‘ offer (Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee, and a first-round pick), while remaining engaged in talks with the Sixers and leaving the door open for other teams to join the discussion. As we heard yesterday, Houston would like to obtain Spencer Hawes and a first-rounder from Philadelphia, but it’s not clear yet if GM Sam Hinkie is willing to pay that price.
Stein echoes yesterday’s reports in writing that the quality of the draft pick the Rockets can get from the Celtics will go a long way toward determining whether the two sides make a deal. However, most sources who spoke to Stein expressed a belief that Houston will proceed with an Asik trade today, accepting the best offer on the table.

Odds & Ends: Asik, Cavs, Turner, Green

December 18th, 2013 at 10:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

Thursday is the final day the Rockets can swap Omer Asik for players they can flip at the trade deadline in February, and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle hears GM Daryl Morey intends to pull off a deal before the team departs for Friday’s game at Indiana (Twitter link). The Rockets are unlikely to trade for a player better than they perceive Asik to be, Feigen writes in his latest piece on the talks, but it sounds like a trade will happen nonetheless, as conflicting reports obscure the notion of the Celtics as the front runners to land the Turkish center. Here’s more from around the league:

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert isn’t pleased with the team’s sub-.500 start and has green-lighted GM Chris Grant to make deals, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Cleveland has “varying degrees of interest” in Evan Turner and Jeff Green, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Reggie Jackson will be up for an extension this summer, and the stumbling block could involve his role with the Thunder instead of financial concerns, as The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater examines. Jackson tells Slater that he wants to start.
Luke Ridnour started all 82 games for the Wolves last year, but he’s fallen from the rotation for the Bucks this season. The 11th-year vet says the lack of playing time has been tough on him, but he isn’t worried about how it may affect his free agency this summer, observes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In an interesting piece for SBNation.com, Tom Ziller makes the case for why a general manager’s confidence in his ability to find value anywhere in a draft will prevent “institutional tanking” from happening in the NBA.
Speaking of tanking, it’ll be tough for the Lakers to make the playoffs, says Jeff Caplan of NBA.com, who believes they’re better off not trying to do so.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Latest On Celtics-Rockets Omer Asik Talks

December 18th, 2013 at 10:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:01pm: Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe hears the Celtics and Rockets are “close” to a deal and echoes much of what we heard tonight before Bulpett reported that the talks are no longer active. It appears the teams are sending out conflicting information on the talks, perhaps in an exercise of negotiating tactics, though that’s just my speculation.

9:16pm: The Celtics proposed a deal of Bass, Lee and a protected first-rounder for Asik a week ago, but talks have been closed since then, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. While other reports have indicated the teams are currently negotiating, that’s not the case, Bulpett writes, suggesting that Celtics GM Danny Ainge isn’t budging from his offer and that the Rockets would have to sweeten their end of the deal to revive discussions. Bulpett also hears that when the Rockets brought Asik aboard in 2012, they promised him they wouldn’t sign another center to compete with him for the starting job.

8:11pm: The Celtics prefer to trade the Clippers’ 2015 first-round pick they acquired via the Doc Rivers deal, while the Rockets are seeking a 2014 first-rounder, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.

7:09pm: TNT’s David Aldridge suggests the Rockets won’t close on an Asik deal tonight, meaning they’ll have to pull one off Thursday to meet their self-imposed deadline (Twitter link).

6:50pm: The Trail Blazers, believing Asik isn’t worth the risk of disrupting team chemistry, aren’t involved in talks with the Rockets, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The Blazers have “grown to love” Robin Lopez and aren’t interested in any major acquisitions for now, Haynes adds.

6:24pm: Though the Hawks don’t appear too interested in Asik, his nearly $15MM balloon payment next season wouldn’t deter the team from taking him on, Vivlamore writes in a subscription-only piece.

5:58pm: The belief that the Celtics will land Omer Asik is growing stronger as other suitors drop out of the talks, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com. It looks like the deal would involve Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee and a draft pick headed to Houston in a trade that includes only the Celtics and Rockets. The two teams are debating over which pick Houston would get, Mannix adds (Twitter links). The Celtics had reportedly been reluctant to surrender their 2014 first-rounder, but it appears they’ve at least relented on the notion of draft compensation.

Lee spoke this afternoon about the possibility of getting traded, saying that he’d prefer to stay put but that he isn’t too concerned with the talk, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com notes (Twitter links). Lee is no stranger to Houston, having played there before the sign-and-trade that took him to Boston last year.

It’s not clear whether the Rockets would send anyone other than Asik to Boston, but Donatas Motiejunas is “desperate” for playing time, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, who points out that Motiejunas and Asik share an agent. Still, Motiejunas would prefer that he got added playing time in Houston rather than with another team, Feigen adds.

The Hawks, also reportedly an Asik suitor, were only in talks with the Rockets out of due diligence, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).