Multiple sources have now come out and confirmed that the latest manifestation of an Omer Asik deal would include Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee, and a draft pick with the two sides currently haggling over which pick would be sent to Houston; reportedly, other teams have dropped out of discussions.
The key on this deal from the earlier Berger piece, for me:
But that potential exchange struck rival GMs as strange, considering the lack of market there would be for Bass and Lee in future trades. Houston wants to fulfill Asik’s trade request by Thursday so any players taken back could be repackaged in other deals before the Feb. 20 deadline.
“No one wants Lee or Bass on a third team or later deal,” one executive said. “They make more than their skill set.”
Bass and Lee are both solid players who would upgrade this team from its current state and fill some of its biggest holes (frontcourt depth, perimeter defense). But neither are exactly assets that could later be repackaged; Lee, in particular, has a gruesome deal which extends into 2016. And of course, both players are backups. It doesn’t really fit the Daryl Morey MO to not only give up the best player in a trade for less value but also, to take back a long-term contract. But I guess that is the situation Omer Asik has put the Rockets front office in. If it were me, I would just hold onto Asik. If your haul is Bass and Lee, two guys who can’t be flipped (per Berger), why the rush to trade Asik by the 19th? You might as well just hold onto him until the deadline and see what happens. I highly doubt he’s going to continue this fake injury charade for that long, even if unhappy.
Still, this is Morey, and he never gets fleeced, so we just need to wait and see what happens. But that fact itself is what makes this whole thing so odd.
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