NBA Trade Rumors 2013: Houston Rockets’ Omer Asik for Boston Celtics Jeff Green Ideal For Both Teams

The Boston Celtics could potentially trade budding star Jeff Green to the Houston Rockets in exchange for defensive big man Omer Asik, ESPN and Grantland analyst Bill Simmons said during his NBA 2013-14 season preview show.

Simmons has been predicting all sorts of eyebrow-raising scenarios as he and Jalen Rose continued to preview NBA teams for the upcoming seasons.

Despite being a hardcore Celtics fan, Simmons seemed really convinced the legendary basketball franchise would trade away their key personnel - including Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green - for an opportunity to land up-and-coming youngsters and draft picks.

Jeff Green Will Be Rocket Man Next Season

Green chalked up solid numbers last season after coming off heart surgery. Green averaged 12.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 27 minutes of action in the regular season.

The Georgetown product had several spectacular games throughout the year - including a 43-point effort against the Miami Heat last March. But he really made his presence felt in the playoffs, where he averaged 20.3 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Celtics in a six-game series loss to the New York Knicks.

However, despite coming off his best postseason performance in his career, Green is not considered as a player capable of becoming the "franchise" of a team, particularly for a rebuilding ballclub like the Celtics. Moreover, a logjam at the power forward position would also make Green the most dispensable player because of his lucrative four-year, $36 million deal.  

Considering these factors, Simmons believed the Celtics would eventually part ways with Green next season and a rim protector in Asik is the perfect compensation for letting go the versatile big man.

"There is an Asik trade coming. It's happening and it going to be, if not for Ryan Anderson, it could be for Jeff Green of the Boston Celtics," Simmons said in his show.

Breaking Down The Potential Trade

Many basketball analysts considered Asik-Green swap a win-win situation for both Houston and Boston. For the Rockets, they will finally have a reliable power forward with a solid clip from the three point line at 38.5 percent. On the other hand, the Celtics will get a defensive big man that will tighten up their interior defense after trading former Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets.

Though Asik's remaining paycheck ($16 million over two years) looks unattractive for the Celtics to take, everything is a possibility at this point prior to the start of the season, which begins next week.