After being unhappily glued to the bench behind Dwight Howard for the Houston Rockets over the past season, Omer Asik will now have a chance to be a starting center once again for the up-and-coming New Orleans Pelicans.
Asik is known for his gritty defense and the ability to rebound – he led all players in total rebounds (956) and came second in total rebound percentage (22) as a starter two seasons ago. He will now be paired with a rising star in Anthony Davis to form one of the most intimidating four-five combinations in the league.
Although it has long been known that the center would be moved via trade to the Pelicans this summer, the news did not become official until Tuesday. Here are the details of the deal, from John Reid of The Times Picayune:
The NBA approved the long-awaited trade on Tuesday, although the Pelicans and Rockets had reached a verbal agreement on the deal June 25.
”This was a guy we targeted,” Demps said. ”Omer is going to bring so much to our team. We are just thrilled to have him.”
In a push to clear enough salary cap space to absorb Asik’s $8.3 million salary, the Pelicans was part of a three-team trade involving the Rockets and Washington Wizards.
In the deal, the Pelicans also acquired small forward Omer Casspi, but a league source said he most likely will be waived because unrestricted free agent small forward John Salmons reached an agreement with New Orleans for a one-year,$2 million deal on Monday. Casspi was not at Tuesday’s news conference.
In exchange for Asik, the Pelicans sent small forward Alonzo Gee, shooting guard Scotty Hopson and their 2015 protected first-round pick to the Rockets, while Melvin Ely’s $2.2 million contract was sent to the Washington Wizards.
The deal included the Rockets acquiring small forward Trevor Ariza in a sign-and-trade agreement from the Wizards in exchange for a $8.5 million trade exception. Ariza, a free agent, had agreed to terms on a four-year, $32 million contract to join the Rockets before the Wizards worked out a sign-and-trade agreement.
The Pelicans now look like a legitimate force to be reckoned with on paper, and will look to compete for a playoff spot in the ridiculous Western Conference. For now, though, some of Asik’s new teammates simply took some time to welcome him to the city:
Welcome to New Orleans @AsikOmer!! Great to have you joining the squad. #Pelicans
— Eric Gordon (@TheofficialEG10) July 16, 2014
Wanna welcome Omer Asik to the #pelicanSquad. Excited to have him apart of the team. — That Boy Jrue (@Jrue_Holiday11) July 16, 2014
— Anthony Davis (@AntDavis23) July 15, 2014
Needless to say, the key players are excited to see a defensive player of Asik’s caliber joining the squad.
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James Park is the chief blogger and deputy editor of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.
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