Woj: Asik for Bass/Lee trade dead for now
The rumored deal of Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee and an unknown first round pick in exchange for Omer Asik, is dead. For now. According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski (you didn't expect anyone else, did you?), Houston has not found a deal they like enough for the 27-year-old big man.
Houston has ended talks on an Omer Asik trade and plan to keep him for now, league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 19, 2013
Houston has found too many teams leery of Asik's contract next season, and hasn't found a deal it wants.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 19, 2013
Houston GM Daryl Morey has also informed Asik's agent, Arn Tellem, that he's ended talks about a trade for his client, source tells Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 19, 2013
Houston needs to buy more time to find a deal. Rockets weren't dealing from a place of leverage now, and rest of league knew it.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 19, 2013
Houston had created a self-imposed deadline of today, but remember: the trade deadline is still two months away.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 19, 2013
Woj's last point is the most important one. Keep in mind, the actual trade deadline is not until late February. Houston set this December 19th "deadline" to try and create a bidding war between the interested parties, and now that the other teams have essentially called their bluff, they're pulling the reigns back. These talks are far from dead, as Houston eventually needs to deal Asik, or risk paying an angry back-up center big money while he plays 15 minutes a night behind Dwight Howard.
So the deal is more dormant than it is dead, and don't be surprised if Boston hops back into the fray a little later in the season. Hell, don't be surprised if it happens later this week.
But for now, the Cs roster remains unchanged.
Follow Mike on twitter - Mike_Dyer13
For more of my articles, click here
RELATED
Celtics frontrunners to land Asik for Bass, Lee and a pick
A comprehensive guide to Omer Asik