Southwest Notes: Asik, Casspi, Mavs, Thomas
On the heels of last night’s loss in Portland, the Rockets will face another tough test tonight, as they travel to Golden State to face the Warriors. Houston is one of four Southwest teams in action tonight, as the Spurs host the Timberwolves while the Grizzlies play the Pelicans in New Orleans. Here’s the latest out of the division:
- The Rockets will almost certainly move Omer Asik within the next week, and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle expects it to be a three-team deal (Twitter link).
- Omri Casspi spoke to Feigen about how a summer voice mail from coach Kevin McHale boosted Casspi’s confidence and acted as a catalyst for his signing with the Rockets.
- According to GM Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks have no plans to add a veteran guard to the roster while they wait for Devin Harris to continue his recovery from toe surgery, writes Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News.
- The Spurs have recalled Malcolm Thomas from the D-League, the club announced today in a press release. In his two-game stint with the Austin Toros, Thomas averaged a double-double (19.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG).
Lowe On Asik, Bobcats, Hibbert, Thunder
With two days remaining until most NBA players become trade-eligible and less than a week until the Rockets‘ self-imposed deadline for an Omer Asik trade, rumors about Houston’s backup center are heating up. We’ve already heard multiple reports on Asik today, and the latest piece from Grantland’s Zach Lowe also focuses on the 27-year-old. Here are Lowe’s updates on Asik and a couple other related topics:
- Lowe echoes what TNT’s David Aldridge and ESPN.com’s Marc Stein have already reported today: By all accounts, the Rockets intend to adhere to that December 19th deadline and move Asik by then.
- Asik’s third-year balloon payment has been a “meaningful obstacle” in trade talks, even though his cap hit will be nearly $7MM less than his actual salary. The Pelicans have never been all that interested in trading Ryan Anderson for Asik, but that $15MM salary for 2014/15 was an additional deterrent for New Orleans, according to Lowe.
- A report earlier in December suggested the Rockets had asked a team for two first-rounders for Asik, but Lowe suggests Houston had been seeking an even greater return. According to Lowe, the Rockets asked the Bobcats for two first-rounders and the right to swap first-round picks in a third draft.
- Lowe reports that, among potential suitors, there are some concerns about Asik’s attitude and about the fact that GM Daryl Morey is trying to subvert the spirit of CBA rules by moving Asik before his third-year “poison pill” kicks in. However, neither factor should be the difference in whether or not Houston finds a taker.
- In discussing Asik’s trade value, Lowe notes that advanced metrics and analytics have resulted in defensive specialists like Asik, Derrick Favors, Larry Sanders, and Roy Hibbert becoming more properly valued by teams around the NBA. Analytics-oriented sources who have spoken to Lowe generally agree that Hibbert is significantly undervalued at $14.5MM annually, suggesting that his contributions are worth more like $25-30MM per year.
- If they haven’t already, expect the Thunder to start putting out feelers for what the return would be if they paired Kendrick Perkins with Jeremy Lamb or a first-round pick, says Lowe. That doesn’t mean OKC will make a move, but it sounds like the team wants to get an idea of how much a first-round pick (or a first-round talent like Lamb) would be worth when combined with a negative asset like Perkins, considering how carefully teams are hoarding first-rounders.
- It’s not clear whether the Thunder have much interest in Asik, but even if they do, Lowe confirms Houston would rather deal with an Eastern Conference team, as we’ve heard before.
Kyler’s Latest: Asik, Randolph, Anderson, Lakers
In his NBA AM column for HoopsWorld this morning, Steve Kyler weighs in with new tidbits on several trade possibilities, so let’s dive right in and round up the highlights from the piece….
- The Rockets no longer appear to be holding out for multiple first-round picks in talks for Omer Asik, as they reportedly were at the start of the month.
- The Hawks and 76ers are among the clubs who have been linked to Asik in recent weeks, but Kyler hears that Atlanta currently has no interest in moving Paul Millsap, while Philadelphia wouldn’t include a draft pick in any offer for Asik.
- Although the Sixers are resistant to parting with a first-round pick for Asik, they don’t have a problem with next season’s balloon payment, since it wouldn’t have a huge effect on the team’s cap space. A one-for-one trade of Asik for Thaddeus Young would work under CBA rules, though the Rockets may be seeking a more significant return.
- A report yesterday suggested the Grizzlies are shopping Zach Randolph with an eye on Ryan Anderson, but according to Kyler, both teams are denying interest in such a deal. Pointing out that teams are making calls and listening to calls a little more seriously than they were a couple weeks ago, Kyler writes that both the Grizzlies and Pelicans are probably just being open-minded about their options. It’s unlikely that either Randolph or Anderson is traded, says Kyler.
- Despite their injury woes at the point, the Lakers aren’t likely to be active on the trade market unless they can land the kind of player they’d be targeting anyway in 2014 free agency, according to Kyler.
Zwerling On Randolph, Anderson, Gordon
The latest dispatch from Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling is chock full of rumors. Let’s dive in:
- The Grizzlies are shopping Zach Randolph, with Ryan Anderson of the Pelicans as the primary target, Zwerling reports. Memphis wants to see Ed Davis continue to develop, and that may help push Randolph out the door. The Pelicans would have to add salary to such a deal to make it work, and Zwerling mentions Austin Rivers as a possibility, noting that he’s dissatisfied with his lack of playing time and is open to a trade.
- A source tells Zwerling that he believes the Pelicans will trade Eric Gordon at some point this season.
- Zwerling hears conflicting reports on whether a rumored Kenneth Faried/Iman Shumpert swap is a possibility for the Nuggets and Knicks, but he says the Knicks are currently reluctant to move Shumpert.
- It’s unlikely the Suns trade either Marcus Morris or twin brother Markieff Morris, according to Zwerling.
- The Sixers would trade Evan Turner for Dion Waiters “in a heartbeat,” a source tells Zwerling, though Cavs owner Dan Gilbert reportedly doesn’t want to trade his shooting guard. The Sixers are worried about what Turner may command in restricted free agency this summer. The Suns could be another landing spot for Waiters, Zwerling writes.
- Courtney Lee, Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries are on the market in Boston. The Celtics offered Avery Bradley a four-year, $24MM extension this fall, but the guard turned it down, looking for a deal with annual salaries of $8MM.
- The Rockets “adore” D-Leaguer Troy Daniels, Zwerling writes. Daniels is displaying a three-point stroke to go with his 25.1 points per game.
West Notes: Augustin, Freeland, Asik, Kings
There are 16 teams in action tonight in what is largely an East Coast-based slate. We do have five Western Conference teams playing, however, including the Suns and Lakers later tonight. Let’s take a look at what else is going on out West on Tuesday night:
- The Timberwolves don’t appear to be targeting D.J. Augustin, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. The Raptors waived Augustin to make way for yesterday’s trade, and the Bulls are the front runners to land him.
- Joel Freeland looks much tougher than he did last year, and Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com wonders if it stems from a fight he and Luke Babbitt had during practice late last season. For what it’s worth, Freeland has become a mainstay in the Blazers‘ rotation, and Babbitt is out of the league.
- The Rockets are targeting a proven veteran small forward in an Omer Asik trade, one of the many kinds of assets the team is looking for as it seeks to deal its backup center, as HoopsWorld’s Steve Kyler notes. Kyler also examines the Thunder’s approach to player development.
- Speaking of Asik, the Rockets center is changing agents, switching from Andy Miller to the high-powered Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group, reports Ken Berger of CBS Sports. As Berger details, Tellem must wait 10 days before his representation of Asik becomes official. Assuming the proper paperwork is submitted today, Tellem can take over for Asik on December 20th, which is a day after Houston’s original target trade date of the 19th. It is also worth noting that Miller has taken legal action in the past when his clients have been poached.
- Responding to news that the campaign for a vote on the Kings‘ arena subsidy has turned in up to 40,000 signatures for their cause, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson cautioned the public that the group is “not folks who have Sacramento’s best interests in mind,” reports Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee.
Southwest Rumors: Grizzlies, Asik, Dalembert
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reveals the details behind the Grizzlies‘ bizarre parting with assistant coach Barry Hecker in the middle of last season’s playoffs. Hecker butted heads with former head coach Lionel Hollins as well as Dave Joerger, who was then a fellow assistant, and he alleges that Joerger was after Hollins’ job as early as two years ago. There’s more on the Grizzlies coaching situation among the latest news from the Southwest Division:
- The Grizzlies front office is beginning to wonder if they made the right hire with their decision to promote Joerger, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports notes in his weekly power rankings. Joerger’s job is nonetheless safe, Spears adds.
- An executive tells Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio not to rule out the Celtics and Bucks as possible destinations for Rockets center Omer Asik. Other recent reports have also linked those teams to Asik.
- The Mavericks planned to make Samuel Dalembert their starting center when they signed him to a two-year deal this past offseason, but he’s in danger of falling out of the rotation, observes Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
- The Spurs recalled Aron Baynes and Nando De Colo from the D-League today, the team announced. De Colo had 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Baynes put up 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Austin Toros last night, hours after the Spurs sent them down along with Malcolm Thomas.
Sixers, Hawks, Bucks In Mix For Omer Asik
The Rockets prefer to trade Omer Asik to an Eastern Conference team, and the Sixers, Hawks and Bucks are three clubs that appear to be strong candidates to land the 7’0″ center, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Portland had seemed to be an aggressive suitor based on the team’s reported discussions with Houston, but the Trail Blazers are enamored with what Robin Lopez has given them, and they aren’t planning to make a run at Asik, Stein writes.
Sixers GM Sam Hinkie was with the Rockets front office when they signed Asik in 2012, and his affinity for the 27-year-old from Turkey is one reason Stein believes many around the league are mentioning Philadelphia as a viable destination for Asik. Sixers power forward Thaddeus Young could fit together with Dwight Howard, Stein points out, adding that Philly isn’t likely to be able to find a player like Asik in the 2014 draft.
The Bucks are about to start looking for trades in the wake of a disappointing 4-16 start, Stein hears, concluding that Milwaukee could be Asik’s next home. That would seem to suggest the Bucks would be willing to trade Larry Sanders, whom they signed to a four-year, $44MM extension this past offseason, but that’s just my speculation.
Houston is no doubt one of many teams eyeing Paul Millsap‘s two-year, $19MM contract as an attractive bargain, so Stein figures the Rockets and Hawks could hook up on an Asik trade. Grantland’s Zach Lowe discussed the possibility of such a swap a few weeks ago, writing that it would work well for both teams and that Hawks GM Danny Ferry might take flak from Western Conference executives for giving such a significant boost to the contending Rockets.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey is also concerned about strengthening his Western Conference competitors, and that’s why he wants to send Asik to the East. Stein doesn’t think Morey will be doctrinaire about the idea, but the ESPN scribe points out that Asik is just the sort of defensive force who could cause Dwight Howard trouble in the playoffs.
Trade Candidate: Omer Asik
There’s about a week between now and December 15th, the start of a five-day window in which an Omer Asik trade seems as likely as any swap ever is before it’s agreed upon. The Rockets are letting other teams know they’d like to do a deal by December 19th, since that would allow capped-out Houston to package any of the players it acquires for Asik in another swap before the February 20th trade deadline. December 15th is when most players signed this past offseason become eligible to be traded, opening up much greater flexibility for the majority of the league.
If the Rockets wait past December 19th, they could still trade whomever they get for Asik, but they couldn’t send any other players out in the deal, unless they pulled off that second trade at the same time as the Asik deal. It’s another example of Rockets GM Daryl Morey attempting to exploit an arcane rule in the collective bargaining agreement for his team’s benefit. Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who first reported that the Rockets were targeting the 19th, sees it as an attempt to prod rival teams into quickly making their best offers. In any case, it appears that suitors for Asik have a long way to go toward satiating Morey’s demands.
At least one executive from another club sees Houston’s desired return for Asik as “delusional”. Various reports suggest the Rockets are looking for two first-round picks, one first-rounder and a quality young player, a likely lottery pick, a first-rate power forward, or simply a difference-maker of any size. There’s likely a wide range of opinions around the league about Asik, who is a starting-caliber 7’0″ defensive whiz. He’s also an offensively limited player who’s been making weekly trade requests and sitting out games because of his disenchantment with his role as a bench player.
Indeed, there’s usually not nearly so much uproar over a 27-year-old who set a new career high with 10.1 points per game last season. He shot 54.1%, respectable but certainly not dazzling for a player his size, and a whopping 84.2% of his shots came from inside three feet, according to Basketball-Reference. That’s understandable, considering he connected on a woeful 28.7% of all other attempts. His 14.9 PER — about league average — was helped along by his rebounding numbers, as he hauled in 11.7 boards per contest in 2012/13, the third-best mark in the league.
Asik had a drastic defensive impact on the Rockets last season. They gave up 107.2 points per 100 possessions when he wasn’t on the floor, and 101.3 when he was, per NBA.com. That 5.9-point gap is nearly equivalent to the difference between the Pacers, the league’s stingiest team in terms of points per 100 possessions last season, and the Warriors, who finished 13th in that category. He hasn’t put up gaudy shot-blocking numbers, averaging 1.1 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game last season. He’s blocking just 0.8 shots per 36 minutes this year, a career low. He’s nonetheless an intimidating force around the rim, allowing opponents to shoot just 43.2% from point blank range, according to data from the NBA’s SportVU cameras.
That’s better than Dwight Howard, against whom opponents have shot 46.1% at the rim. The Rockets front office believes strongly in analytics, but they’ve already made their choice of centers. Howard’s max deal means he’ll be starting, and since the failure of the team’s experiment with both Howard and Asik in the starting lineup, Asik’s days in Houston have been numbered. Complicating matters is Asik’s backloaded contract, as I explained last month. He’s due a nearly $15MM balloon payment next season, even though his salary cap figure doesn’t reflect that.
Plenty of teams have drawn mention as possible destinations for Asik, like the Pelicans, Celtics and Bulls. None seem as enthusiastic as the Trail Blazers, who’ve reportedly reached out to the Rockets and begun talks. Asik would help solidify Portland, which appears ahead of schedule on its path toward contention. Still, there doesn’t seem to be a logical deal between these teams. The Blazers must convey a first-round pick to the Bobcats sometime between 2014 and 2016, meaning the earliest first-rounder Portland could surrender would be in 2018, thanks to the Stepien Rule. The Blazers have a premiere power forward in LaMarcus Aldridge, but he’s not going to be part of any such deal unless both teams are willing to drastically alter their compositions, which is unlikely to happen. Portland has intriguing young players like Thomas Robinson and C.J. McCollum, but Robinson can’t be traded back to the Rockets this year, so the Blazers probably don’t have enough to get the Rockets to part with Asik.
The most logical trade would see Asik and Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson switch places, and though that idea has been bandied about since Howard signed with Houston this summer, New Orleans isn’t biting. Other possibilities exist, but Morey may have to resort to a three- or four-team swap to find the kind of return he’s looking for. Thankfully for the Rockets, the GM is no stranger to such deals, having pulled off eight trades involving more than two teams since taking over Houston’s front office in June of 2007. It’s as tough an assignment as any that Morey’s had, especially considering that he must guard against strengthening a competitor now that his team has legitimate title aspirations, unlike years past. Find the right Asik trade, and Morey’s goal of building a championship team in Houston could be complete. Agree to the wrong one, and the Rockets will have cost themselves precious flexibility for a balance sheet clogged with two max players for the foreseeable future.
Rockets Accelerate Push For Omer Asik Trade
5:11pm: The Rockets are also willing to take only one first round pick and a “good young” player for Asik, Racine Journal Times’ Gery Woelfel tweets.
12:40pm: The Rockets would take back a “high-level” power forward for Asik if they can’t find a team willing to give up a lottery pick, Amick adds via Twitter.
11:56am: Houston is still seeking a likely lottery pick in return for Asik, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.
11:46am: The Rockets want to trade Omer Asik by December 19th at the latest, and have begun to more aggressively pursue discussions with other teams, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Houston wants to get a deal done by that date so that it could swap whomever it acquires for Asik in another deal in advance of the February 20th deadline. (Twitter links). The collective bargaining agreement prohibits over-the-cap teams from sending out anyone they obtain via trade in another deal for two months, unless that player is the only one the team trades in the subsequent deal.
A deal is most likely to happen between December 15th, when most free agents signed this summer become eligible to be traded, and the 19th, Stein tweets. The Rockets have reportedly been seeking a pair of first-round picks in return, though their targeting of the December 19th date suggests they’re also looking for current players. Two first-rounders would be quite a high cost, and indeed a rival GM recently described the Rockets’ asking price as “delusional.” Perhaps Houston GM Daryl Morey will become more willing to temper his expectations as his self-imposed deadline draws near.
The Blazers have apparently engaged the Rockets about Asik, while the Celtics have been linked to the big man as well. New Orleans is a long-rumored Asik destination, but the Pelicans don’t appear willing to part with Ryan Anderson. Asik’s price tag, which includes a nearly $8.4MM cap hit this season and next and a total of roughly $20MM in actual payments, seems to be scaring off the Bulls.
In any case, Stein gets the sense that an Asik trade is inevitable, comparing it to the team’s efforts to unload Thomas Robinson this summer to clear cap room for Dwight Howard (Twitter link).
Royce White Drawing NBA Interest
Despite being selected 16th overall in the 2012 draft, Royce White has yet to play in a regular season NBA game. While White played for the Rockets’ D-League affiliate last season and appeared in a handful of preseason games for the Sixers this fall, his well-documented anxiety disorder has derailed his NBA career so far.
Nonetheless, White doesn’t believe his NBA career is over. The 22-year-old tells Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register (link via USA Today) that he’s receiving NBA interest and that reports of his fear of flying have been “overblown.”
“We’re in contact with some teams,” White said. “Quite a few more than expected. People are more understanding than you think. It’s not an insensitive crowd. There are teams involved. It’s finding a situation that’s appropriate.”
After a year of trying to make things work in Houston, the Rockets sent White to the Sixers in a salary dump to clear cap room for Dwight Howard. Given the team’s low expectations for 2013/14, Philadelphia looked like a good landing spot for White, but the club waived him prior to opening night, making him a free agent.
When we asked Hoops Rumors readers whether White would eventually see action in the NBA, you were skeptical, with more than 70% of respondents predicting that the Iowa State product wouldn’t ever make his NBA debut. Still, White believes it could come down to finding the right fit.
“Basketball is in a flux for me at this point, but it’s something that happens to a lot of guys in their early careers,” White said. “For me, it’s can we find a team that has the right setup, has an open mind, wants to understand what I’m saying, and other things that we’ve discovered since I’ve been in the league.”
The Rockets are the only NBA team ineligible to offer White a contract, since clubs aren’t allowed to re-sign free agents so soon after trading them.