
Houston appears to have finally found a home for Omer Asik.
The Houston Rockets are close to trading Omer Asik to the New Orleans Pelicans, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
Houston is finalizing a deal to send Omer Asik to New Orleans, league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 26, 2014
It's a well-known fact that Asik has wanted to be traded from the Rockets ever since they landed Dwight Howard last summer. Until now, Houston has been willing to hold on to Asik and wait for the right deal. But with free agency looming and the Rockets eyeing LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, Asik will finally have a new team.
In exchange for Asik, the Rockets will receive a future first-round pick from the Pelicans. Houston will also send $1.5 million in cash to New Orleans.
The Pelicans get $1.5 million in cash. The 2015 pick Houston receives will likely be late lottery and no worse than No. 20.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 26, 2014
It's worth noting that this deal cannot officially happen until after July 1, because the Pelicans already traded their first-round pick in 2014 and the Stepien Rule prevents a team from trading first-round picks in back-to-back years. After July 1, the Pelicans will be free to trade their 2015 first-round pick to the Rockets.