Omer Asik rumors: 5 teams vying for Rockets big man

Houston Rockets center Omer Asik is close to finding a new NBA home, and five teams are emerging as front-runners for his services, according to Yahoo Sports NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal is expected to get done in the next 48 hours.

The Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers are all in play per the report, as well as a possible "wildcard" team.

Houston is determined to move their disgruntled big man, who became upset with his situation when newcomer Dwight Howard took his spot in the rotation and subsequently forced him into a diminished role. It now seems a matter of when, and not if, he finds a new team.

When he does depart, the team he joins will get a legitimate rim protector in the prime of his career. When given consistent opportunities, he's been productive as evidenced by his career-high 14.9 player efficiency rating (via Basketball-Reference.com) last season and career average of 1.7 blocks per 36 minutes.

Houston is well-situated with Howard as the cornerstone of their frontcourt for the foreseeable future.

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