And who, pray tell, will you be trading to Minny to get the the cap room to sign Love? Obviously if they are trading him they are interested in a rebuild and aren't going to take on contracts like Asik. Is there a third team here? I just don't see how his works.
who knows, maybe minny don't trade him at all, can never really predict these things. A lot will depend on "will Minny trade Love" and "who will risk a rental". Of the teams he could go to, we have more assets than any of them (now that Chicago is probably in Yao/Tracy/Oden/Roy hell) since every one of them traded their future for the now, and we might well not have enough (but the going rate for a leaving star is either another one, or about 3-4 picks and a cpl young potential players). But 2015 free agency is why Morey won't trade Asik for longer contracts unless it brings back additional assets (picks) to offload them. If I had to make a guess, I'd see Minny making a hail mary involving Rubio before they give up on Love (unless Sterling can remove his tongue from Blake's ass and choose winning first).
My guess is that a Love trade will not be done until after this season or even at the 2015 trade deadline since teams typically don't give up hope on keeping their star player until the very last opportunity has expired (the only exception here was Deron Williams). Not sure who will even be on the Rockets by then. However, both Asik and Lin will be expiring contracts next season, so either of them can serve as the "Kevin Martin in Harden trade" role of salary balance come 2015. Also, even teams in "full rebuild" mode at times accept a player who can actually play back as a part of a package. Orlando, for example, took Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington back for Howard. They were not what the Magic really wanted back for Howard, and you had to add other draft picks and pieces obviously, but the point remains that you can make things work with a more or less established player as a part of the package. Again, look at the Dwight Howard to Lakers trade (http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/howardw01.html): Orlando got Afflalo, Harrington, McRoberts, Eyenga as contract balance needed under the CBA. It also got Vucevic, Harkless (just drafted) and a few first round picks which were not expected to be very high at the time (the lower of Denver's and Knick's 2014 pick, a protected 2016 Philly pick, and a 1st rounder for the Lakers that will come no earlier than 2017. Detail here: http://www1.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed). By this upcoming summer, if Love wants out, Houston can probably put together a similar package to the package that Orlando got for Dwight (who, by the way, is a significantly better player than Love): Asik (whom they can keep or flip at for something like Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee and a 1st rounder), TJones, salary fillers, whoever Houston drafts with its own 2014 1st rounder and the Knicks' 2014 2nd rounder, Houston's 2015 and 2017 first rounder, plus some overseas guys (Llull, Papanicolaou) and 2nd round picks.
