Rockets tell Omer Asik they will not honor his trade request, reports say

As Omer Asik fell out of the starting lineup and played just four minutes over the last two games, he and his agent made a formal request to the Rockets that they trade him somewhere where he can get more playing time. The "Twin Towers" lineup has effectively been dismantled, and without time on the floor next to Howard, it seems unlikely that he will get more than ten minutes a night, leading to that request. However, the Rockets reacted to the request the same way they reacted this summer, reportedly telling Asik they had no plans to trade him.

The Rockets have no obligation to trade Asik and don't want to be put in a position where they are seen as an easy target by the rest of the league, so this "rejection" of the trade request makes sense. Nobody is willing to announce that they will trade someone, so even if the Rockets are shopping Asik, they would not let that information leak for public consumption.

By the way, the Rockets have been "shopping" Asik to some extent all year, just as they do with their entire roster. Daryl Morey wants to have a roster that fits together, and so moving a piece that doesn't truly fit in makes sense from a team improvement standpoint. But he wants to get full value for Asik, and if he's backed against a wall, he won't be able to do so.

Asik will likely not be on this team when the trade deadline rolls around, but expecting him to be moved in the near future is a bit optimistic. We'll see what Morey can cook up.