The New Orleans Pelicans 2015-16 season has not gone nearly as well as they would have hoped through 25 games as they are 7-18 and near the bottom of the Western Conference. The Pelicans have dealt with plenty of injuries this season which is part of the reason for their struggles but they have also had some poor performances. Omer Asik is one of those players that has not played well so far this season so the Pelicans have reportedly put him on the trading block, according to Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.
Asik came into the season with a calf injury that forced him to miss some time but when he has been on the court he has not played well. The 29 year old center has appeared in 18 games (14 starts) and his production and minutes are way down as he is averaging just 2.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Pelicans have put Asik's name out there to see what they could possibly get for him but odds are that he won't garner much interest and the main reason is because of his contract. This past offseason the Pelicans signed Asik to a five year $58 million deal and there aren't many teams that will be willing to take on that contract for a guy having as bad of a year as he is having.
Right now Asik's value is at an all-time low as his contract is becoming laughable and he seems to be falling out of favor in New Orleans so he could likely be had for next to nothing but even that might not be enough for the Pelicans to unload him. You can't blame the Pelicans for trying to get rid of the contract but odds are Asik will be stuck in New Orleans for the majority of that contract unless a team gets desperate and decides they could use his rebounding ability as he is an elite NBA rebounder (13.3 rebounds per 36 minutes for his career.)
The Pelicans are currently at the center of a lot of trade talks but these involving Asik seem like the least likely to actually happen. Ryan Anderson has also been involved in a lot of rumors and the Pelicans are reportedly not shopping him but they are listening to see if they get an offer that they like. It seems like the Pelicans could be very active over the next couple of months in regards to trades, just don't expect them to be able to move Asik.
