You don't free up enough cap room to sign Josh Smith if you only get rid of Asik for a eurostash or draft picks. The key to a S&T is that you can use the matching salary rule to bring Josh Smith in for a higher salary than Asik's $8.3M cap hit.
Honestly, don't find this surprising at all. Have believed from the beginning that DM would trade Asik if they ever managed to land Dwight. And honestly I'm wouldn't be shocked at all if Asik wants to keep being a starter. Even though he's being paid, he's arguably a top 5 center and for that kind of play he doesn't want to play only 15 minutes a game or be cut to minimal minutes on a shortened playoff roster. Asik played his heart out and he's got lots of upside. Playing behind Dwight we'll never see how good he can become, and as a trade asset we have the opportunity to upgrade the 4, a position we've been hurting on all season. If Asik goes, best of luck to him. He played his heart out every night he was out there even if his dropped balls would make us tear our hair out.
I'd take teague/smith/someone else . <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>I'm told Hawks and Rockets working on sign&trade to bring Josh Smith to Hou, probably for Asik and JLin</p>— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) <a href="https://twitter.com/Chris_Broussard/statuses/353289442255060992">July 5, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I'm all for that, but this is the equivalent of saying "Let's trade Parsons for Lebron." It's just completely unreasonable... it's just one of those things where I keep seeing a different poster every hour saying "let's get LMA!" with no reasonable way to do it. I think it's the UT homerism.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>I'm told Hawks and Rockets working on sign&trade to bring Josh Smith to Hou, probably for Asik and JLin</p>— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) <a href="https://twitter.com/Chris_Broussard/statuses/353289442255060992">July 5, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Also fun fact, has anyone noticed that Broussard has started weening off "multiple sources" and now says more "I'm being told"?
Lins assist will go up for sure next year with Howard here. I hope he stays this year, I would think that he would average 8 assist with Howard.
if we can get teague back, then sure. otherwise, that sounds like we're offering smith too much money.
I wish we would trade Howard for Aldridge + some sweetener. I like Lin/Harden/Parsons/Aldridge/Asik better than any roster we could put together by trading Asik.
If dwight free throw shooting doesn't improve and they do hack on him. It's going double hurt remembering asik.
why does Asik need to rock the boat? I like the idea of having a real backup 5.. and not some tweener 4. oh well
