Earlier this week, it was reported that the Houston Rockets do not plan on picking up the fourth-year option on forward Chandler Parsons in an effort to land a third max contract type player.
The team wants to deal Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, too.
The Houston Chronicle reported that in order to pursue the top free agents this summer, the Rockets are confident they will be able to move Lin’s and Asik’s contracts to create salary cap space.
The Rockets are expected to pursue the top free agents this summer – including LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony and Dirk Nowitzki – if each opts out of contracts and will consider the Rockets. To have that sort of cap room, the Rockets would have to move several contracts, likely including Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, especially if Parsons is a free agent because of the cap hold necessary for the Rockets to retain their rights to match offers for him.
According to an individual familiar with the Rockets’ plans, they are confident they would be able to move Lin and Asik’s contracts because unlike their failed efforts to trade Asik last season, they would be looking to clear cap room, rather than bring back rotation players with similar contracts .
Asik was the subject of numerous trade discussions back during the NBA trading deadline, and has been the subject of such talks since the team signed Dwight Howard last summer. Asik is set to earn $14.9 million in 2014 before hitting free agency in 2015, so his expiring contract could be enticing to teams.
Lin, too, will earn $14.9 million this coming season and will be a free agent after, so like Asik, his expiring contract will be on demand in the open market as teams turn their attention toward the summer of 2015.
If the Rockets can deal both Asik and Lin, the team would have $14,321,273 in projected cap room, according to Pro Basketball Talk, still not enough to sign any of the top four max-contract free agents the team reportedly covets.
