NBA Trade Rumors 2014: Houston Rockets Could Keep Omer Asik Beyond This Season

The Houston Rockets are expected to become aggressive on the NBA trade front as the deadline approaches, but a potential Omer Asik trade may not be in their plans this season.

In a recent Q&A session with season ticket holders, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said that Asik, who reportedly asked for a trade due to his diminished role since the arrival of Dwight Howard, could stay in Houston until the end of next season.

Morey said that they felt the best opportunity to trade the disgruntled center has lapsed. He admitted that they aggressively shopped Asik, but they received unattractive offers from several teams, which made them decide to move forward with Asik as part of their roster.

"At this point, Omer is very likely going to be here until the end of his contract at the end of next season, not this season. The window to trade him was in December, and teams weren't aggressive enough to get him, so we're excited about him being a part of our future," Morey said.

Asik, who is on contract with the Rockets until the end of the 2014-15 NBA season, was almost traded to the Boston Celtics in December for Brandon Bass and Courtney Lee, but Houston eventually backed out of the deal.

Recent rumors suggested that the Celtics are planning to sit down with Morey again before the deadline about a potential trade for Asik.

See Related: Boston Celtics Still Interested In Trading For Omer Asik?

Sources said that the Celtics will offer Jeff Green in the deal, giving the Rockets a stretch four who could play effectively alongside superstar center Dwight Howard.

Aside from the highly-talked about Asik trade, Morey did not turn away the possibility of making other roster moves in hopes of improving their title chances this season.

Morey said that the Rockets are a few moves away from becoming a legit title contender, which could make them decide to become buyers before the trade deadline on Feb. 20.

"We're valuing now and this season much higher than we have in the past. We feel like, while maybe not the favorite, we have a legit chance to win the title this year. So if an opportunity presents itself to get a lot better this year, we'll do it. We'll give up some future for now," Morey said.

The Rockets are currently the fifth-best team in the Western Conference with their 29-17 record.