The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly interested in trading for Houston Rockets center Omer Asik. Jeremy Lin, meanwhile, is expected to return from his knee injury on Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
ESPN reported on Sunday that Philadelphia could offer Thaddeus Young to Houston in exchange for the 7-foot Turk. Per Marc Stein:
"Keep your eye on Philadelphia. Front-runner would be overstating it, but the notion that the Sixers are a viable destination for Asik is increasingly making the rounds. And that certainly makes sense given (A) Philly's front office is run by a certified Asik fan in former Rockets exec Sam Hinkie and (B) Philly has a frontcourt player to send back to Houston in Thaddeus Young, whose skill set can click with Dwight Howard's, albeit not as well as seemingly unattainable dream target Ryan Anderson; and (C) there really isn't an Asik for Philly to draft with the high pick it's likely to snag in the 2014 lottery."
Stein also suggested the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks may take a run at trying to acquire Asik.
Houston is reportedly trying to deal Asik between Dec. 15 and Dec. 19.
Asik, a defensive anchor, has wanted out of Houston since the offseason signing of Dwight Howard. Rockets coach Kevin McHale initially tried playing both centers together at the same time, but the experiment failed and was eventually scrapped.
He averaged 10.1 points and 11.7 rebounds per game last season but has seen his numbers dwindle this season because of his lack of playing time, averaging 4.4 points and 6.8 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game. He's currently out with a right thigh contusion injury.
Lin, meanwhile, is on track to play on Thursday against Portland. The guard, who's averaging 15.3 points per game, has been sidelined since Nov. 27 after suffering a sprained and bruised right knee.
"He seems to be running," McHale said, via the Houston Chronicle. "He ran pretty hard today before our little walk-through. He's still good for Thursday."
