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Yesterday, it seemed like Omer Asik going to the Boston Celtics for Courtney Lee, Brandon Bass, and a first round pick was inevitable. Now? It still seems pretty inevitable, but maybe less inevitable? Am I misusing the word "inevitable"? Can there be varying levels of it? Answers to these important questions and more in the bullet points.
-- Marc Stein reporting the Rockets and Daryl Morey still want to have a trade done by today, but they could feasibly wait until tomorrow and have the ability to trade players they receive by the Trade Deadline in non-1-for-1 deals.
-- Boston and Houston still haggling over that pick. The 2014 Draft is important, you guys.
-- Danny Ainge just playing the simpleton:
"I have no indication of that, other than the rumors," Ainge said. "I have no indication, in my dealings with and calls with other teams, that we're close to doing a deal."
-- I don't believe this is worth talking about because I think it's a Hinkie-Morey ploy, but the Rockets are said to be interested in Spencer Hawes and a first-rounder from the Sixers for Asik. Uh, moving along.
UPDATE:
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 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
Back to Original:
So I wouldn't be surprised at this point for the Rockets to pull it back and regroup (hey I was right!). Unless that's a damn good first-rounder, Bass (signed until 2014-15 at $6.9M) and Courtney Lee (signed until 2015-16 at $5.7M) don't exactly make the Rockets cap-flexible. Lee's played in Houston before, and both of them have played with Dwight Howard in Orlando. There's been conflicting reports as to whether Dwight likes those guys or doesn't.
It's all about the pick. The Sixers aren't giving up one. Something will happen today or it won't. We'll be here for you either way.
