The Houston Rockets continued its quest to search for a star to complete its "Big Three." After hopes of getting either Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James got more distant, the team set their sights on Chris Bosh.
In a report by Fansided, it was not the first time that the Rockets tried to acquire Bosh. Back in 2010, Houston tried to woo Bosh into joining them, but the big man chose to form Miami Heat's Big Three. Currently, Bosh shared that he will be leaving Miami if their superstar LeBron James opts for another team. To acquire Bosh, the Rockets have to trade out point guard Jeremy Lin and center Omer Asik.
Asik will be moving to the New Orleans Pelicans soon. In the past several months, talks of Jeremy Lin being traded out have circulated and, finally, a deal seemed to have been made for the aspiring best sixth man of the NBA. Lin previously shared his disappointment upon knowing that the Rockets seemed to want to trade him out so desperately, by putting Carmelo Anthony in his uniform on a giant poster.
According to Sporting News, Jeremy Lin will be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers together with a first round draft pick. CSNPhilly.com stated, "The Sixers would essentially pay [Lin's] salary and absorb his cap hit in exchange for taking back assets."
For months, the Rockets wanted to free up salary cap space to afford its third star. Lin previously signed with the Rockets for a four-year deal worth over $14 million. The final year of his contract is expected to earn him around $8.3 million. Lin averaged 12.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 4.1 assists per game in the 2013-2014 season. He played in 71 games.
Should Lin proceed to the 76ers, he will have to split time with point guard Michael Carter-Williams. In a report by SB Nation, Philadelphia is also going through a rebuilding phase. The addition of Lin was warmly welcomed and extra draft picks would also be beneficial for the team in the long term. The trade is actually heavily dependent on the possibility of James leaving Miami, which in turn would cause Bosh to move out too. Philadelphia only has to wait until then. There were also talks that a third piece would be added to the deal so the 76ers will have a lot of options when everything is confirmed.