Sources: New trade offer in works
The Houston Rockets have reconstructed their trade proposal to the Orlando Magic for superstar center Dwight Howard, vowing to take back even more long-term salary from the Magic than before in hopes of convincing Orlando to consent to trade Howard directly to Houston, according to sources briefed on the trade talks.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Rockets, should they go ahead with their widely reported plans to release starting power forward Luis Scola via the NBA's amnesty clause, are prepared to absorb the contracts of Jason Richardson, Glen Davis and Chris Duhon -- in addition to sending Orlando multiple future first-round picks and recent draftees -- to give the Magic an opportunity to wipe their payroll virtually clean for their post-Howard rebuilding effort.
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is feverishly trying to construct a trade that will allow the Rockets to take back, in addition to Howard, some combination of Richardson, Davis, Duhon and Hedo Turkoglu. The Rockets believe that, with Scola's three remaining seasons valued at roughly $21 million off the books, that they can create the requisite cap space to do so.
Friday thus looms as a pivotal day in the Rockets' all-out quest to trade for Howard. Not only is Houston expected to formally waive Scola on Friday, but sources say that the Rockets will also finalize their long-awaited offer sheet to New York Knicks restricted free agent Jeremy Lin. The Knicks have been adamant that they will match Houston's four-year offer to Lin valued at just under $29 million, but they can take three days to do so once Lin signs.
The Rockets have also committed a four-year offer sheet worth just over $25 million to Chicago Bulls restricted free agent Omer Asik. It's believed that the Rockets will make Asik's offer sheet official after the Knicks match on Lin, but Asik's fate is less certain, with the Bulls said to be wavering on whether to bring the bruising big man back. The Rockets promised offer sheets to Asik and Lin early in free agency -- and are thus honor-bound to go through with them to ensure that they'll suffer no future repercussions from agents or players in free agency -- but it's possible that Houston is secretly rooting for both offer sheets to be matched. In that scenario, Houston would only be left with more cap space to try to get the Orlando trade done, which is clearly its No. 1 priority.
Rockets officials, though, remain steadfast in their belief that, even if the Bulls decline to match on Asik, that they'll be able to absorb at least three of the four aforementioned Magic role players: Richardson, Davis, Duhon and Turkoglu. Sources say that the Rockets would have to send Kevin Martin, Patrick Patterson, Marcus Morris and Chandler Parsons to the Magic from their current roster to make the salary-cap math work, as well the draft rights to Jeremy Lamb, Royce White and Terrence Jones, all selected in last month's first round.
The Rockets, in addition, would also have to waive a handful of players with non-guaranteed contracts (Shaun Livingston, Courtney Fortson, Josh Harrellson, Jerome Jordan, Jon Leuer, Diamon Simpson and Greg Smith) to clear sufficient cap space. But Houston, sources say, is also offering multiple first-round picks to the Magic, including a potential lottery pick acquired this week from Toronto in the Kyle Lowry deal. Future picks are known to hold great appeal to new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan and no team in the recent running for Howard -- Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Lakers are the other two top suitors -- has a first-rounder of that caliber to send to Orlando.
