NBA teams
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Staff Writer 10y

Asik and Hawks a perfect fit

NBA, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets

As we close in on the Feb. 20 trade deadline, there will be increased chatter about trade rumors, hypothetical or otherwise. As is usual, many of the names mentioned will be of the same handful of players who are rumored to be on the block. As also is usual, many of these deals will serve the interests of one party, but not the other. To that end, we continue our series aimed to help examine some trade pairings and dissect the value delivered to the parties involved.

This week, we look at the oft-rumored Omer Asik of the Houston Rockets, who made his wishes to be traded immediately following Dwight Howard's announcement that he was joining Houston. While the Rockets attempted to placate Asik (and rebuild leverage) by claiming they planned to play both players alongside each another, that proved to be a failed experiment. Houston tried to move Asik in December in an attempt to retain the ability to repackage assets received into a second deal prior to the trade deadline. However, they were unable to draw a desirable enough offer (no doubt torpedoed by Asik's injury status).

A deal is not expected to be completed until closer to the trade deadline, as Houston attempts to pit several offers against one another, using the deadline as an incentive for teams to ante up. The talks have begun to heat back up recently, so here's an in-depth look at what could be a perfect trade: Asik to the Atlanta Hawks.

^ Back to Top ^