The Houston Rockets are looking into trading Yao Ming according to league sources and are engaged in discussions about his availability with several potential trade partners.
According to Yahoo! Sports Houston is dangling his expiring $17 million deal in order to possibly acquire an established star or a package of young impact players and picks.
This comes as a surprise to me considering a recent story from Sports Illustrated (View that HERE) illustrates that GM Daryl Morey still believed Yao had a bright future with the team and was willing to be patient considering all he had accomplished with and for the franchise.
Yao’s contract is quite the bargaining chip but any respective team looking to acquire him (and it) would have to give up quite a bit in return to match salaries.
According to CBS Sports, it is a possibility that any team dealing for Yao might give him a non-lucrative, short-term contract to test out his abilities after he recovers from the stress fracture sustained in his left ankle that will have him miss the rest of this season.
Also from the above source, Yao’s insurance would cover $8 million of his current expiring deal, which would entice teams that much more.
Houston has revamped its roster by acquiring Kevin Martin and morphed into a fast-paced offensive unit (currently ranked #7 in offensive efficiency) in Yao’s absence.
The emergence of Luis Scola (20.3 points, 8.7 boards) combined with Houston’s current run - they’ve won six of their past seven - has apparently convinced the front office that Yao is expendable at this time if pieces are brought in that can contribute right away.
If Yao is indeed traded it would bring an end to a mostly unfulfilled era in which the Rockets flirted with sustained excellence but could never reach their peak due to injuries.
Here’s hoping that Yao recovers fully and if traded a team is willing to give him another shot.
As I stated before in a PREVIOUS COLUMN this might indeed be it for Yao, which would be a disappointing revelation considering all he’s done for the team and league.
What are your thoughts on all this?