Houston Rockets: Omer Asik Trade Deadline Could Linger To Friday

Dec 18, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Omer Asik (3) and point guard Jeremy Lin (7) walk to the locker room during halftime at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s the latest regarding Omer Asik: On Wednesday evening, a source from the Rockets stated that a trade that would send Asik to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee, and a 1st-round pick had a “95 percent” chance of happening by Thursday.

However, according to Steve Bulpritt of the Boston Herald, those talks have dropped off:

“Multiple sources confirmed that an offer of Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee and a first-round draft pick — protected, at that — was indeed made by the Celts … last week. When it was summarily turned down by the Rockets, the matter was closed and remained such as of late today.

The Celtics were not deep in talks with the Rockets today. They were not negotiating over which first-round pick would be included in the deal or how well protected that pick would be. According to a source from a team that has been involved in the process and dropped out, the next move would have to come from the Rockets.”

That can completely change the outlook going forward, as the list of possible teams are shrinking by the hour. The Atlanta Hawks, who had been in the mix in the past week, is a destination that seems more and more unlikely, while the Philadelphia 76ers remain at bay.

One other important factor to keep an eye on is that the actual NBA deadline of acquiring a player who is eligible to be moved at the trade deadline is actually Dec. 20. While it won’t necessarily change things on the Rockets’ end, it does give some flexibility in case a deal does not come up. Head coach Kevin McHale, on the other hand, seemed to play the self-imposed deadline off, stating after the Rockets’ win over the Bulls Wednesday night that he expects getting Asik back to run with the 2nd unit.

Asked about second unit, McHale twice mentioned getting Asik back. Take it for what you will. Asik would not comment, by the way.

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) December 19, 2013

By the way, Asik looked rather happy on the bench Wednesday night; not sure if it was him knowing he would be out of Houston soon, or he was trying his best to be a good teammate.

Dec 18, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Omer Asik (3) speaks with small forward Ronnie Brewer (10) during the second quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Sports

Dec 18, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Omer Asik (3) gives a thumbs up during the second quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Sports