Potential landing spots for Omer Asik

There was a report that came out today related to Omer Asik and his potential trade from the Rockets. Marc Stein of ESPN reported that the Rockets will and try and move Asik by December 19th. That leaves 13 days for them to move him by that deadline, so it could be coming soon. So, where could he end up? Here’s five potential suitors for Asik:

1. Los Angeles Lakers-

The Lakers are long shot in this one, but they are still players in this. They don’t have a lot of assets, but with Kobe returning, their guard positions are loaded. They also have a first round pick, so if they decide that they don’t want to use it to help build for the future, they could use that. Also, rookie Ryan Kelly could draw interest from Houston for his ability to stretch the floor (Ryan Anderson was his stretch 4 in Orlando).

2. Atlanta Hawks-

I don’t see the Hawks helping the team that ended up signing Dwight Howard (they were in the sweepstakes, but lost out on his services), but there have always been rumblings of Atlanta looking to add a center. That would theoretically move Al Horford to the power forward position, and give the Hawks a rim protector. They could move Paul Millsap, and add in John Jenkins for some shooting. As a guy who covers the Hawks, and has been around the team, I’ll say that they are really high on Millsap, and they like the way that Horford and Millsap play together. This is also not likely, but they could be interested in him.

3. New Orleans Pelicans-

Ultimately, Anthony Davis is a power forward, and the Pelicans would benefit from a big center in the middle to slide Davis back over. They have the one player Houston covets in Ryan Anderson, but it isn’t likely that New Orleans would give him up. They have been pretty bad on defense, and Asik would help fix that. They don’t have any first round picks, so it’s probably Anderson or bust.

4. New York Knicks-

The Knicks are relying on Andrea Bargnani and Amar’e Stoudemire to defend the paint. Let that sink in. Tyson Chandler could return soon,  but they don’t have much time to wait. Asik would be a perfect fit in New York, but he could be unhappy when he has to share minutes with Tyson Chandler. The Knicks want to move Shumpert, and he could help on the wing defensively for Houston.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder-

The Thunder would virtually be unstoppable if they got Omer Asik, he is better than Kendrick Perkins on both ends of the floor, and any weaknesses the Thunder might have would be erased. They have some draft picks, and never count Sam Presti out of anything. This all depends on if OKC can get a good deal together, and if the Rockets would let their Western Conference foe improve.

Whoever gets Asik, they will benefit mightily. He can give you a rim protector, and his offensive game is actually decent.