The Houston Rockets are expected to make big moves this offseason as they are trying to clear cap space in order to have a shot at acquiring Carmelo Anthony this summer.
And as expected, Jeremy Lin is being mentioned as a potential trade chip for the Rockets now that center Omer Asik has been traded, and reports indicated that the Golden State Warriors might be interested in acquiring him.
According to Chris Broussard of ESPN, the Rockets and the Warriors were discussing potential trade for Lin or Asik over the past several days, but Golden State will only agree to absorb Lin's contract if Chandler Parson will be included in the deal.
Parsons, who averaged 16.6 points to go along with 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists, would provide additional shooting threat to the Warriors, or he could take the place of Klay Thompson if he is eventually traded this offseason.
"The Rockets are confident they can trade Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin to clear the cap room necessary to offer near-max dollars. While they'd like to keep Chandler Parsons, he might have to be sacrificed to move Asik and/or Lin. I'm told Golden State might be interested in trading for Lin if it can land Parsons along with him," Broussard wrote.
Lin, who averaged 12.5 points and 4.1 assists per game last season, has cap hit of $8.34 million next season, but he is actually set to earn $15 million in the final year of his "poison pill" contract.
Asik had the same terms in his contract with the Rockets. He was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday in exchange for a first-round pick in 2015 and cash, helping the Rockets move on step closer to clearing enough cap space for a marquee player this summer.
ESPN also recently reported that the Rockets are also interested in LeBron James, but most analysts are convinced that the four-time Most Valuable Player will eventually decide to re-sign with the Miami Heat.
But even if the Rockets fail to land Anthony and James, they are still expected to move both Asik and Lin this summer as they are looking to retool their roster in hopes of improving their title chances next season.
