Houston Rockets put Omer Asik on trade block

Sources told ESPN.com that the Rockets began calling potential trade partners Friday to let them know they intend to deal Omer Asik between Dec. 15 and Dec. 19.

The Rockets tried playing Omer Asik and Dwight Howard together and were initially hesitant to entertain trade offers for the Turkish big man.

The significance of such a specific window is two-fold. Dec. 15 is the first day players who signed new contracts in the offseason can be plugged into trades, and Dec. 19 is the last day any player acquired by Houston in an Asik deal can be repackaged with other players before the league's Feb. 20 trade deadline.