The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has acquired Omer Asik, Omri Casspi and cash considerations from the Houston Rockets in a three-team trade that sends Alonzo Gee, Scotty Hopson and the Pelicans’ protected first round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft to the Rockets and Melvin Ely to the Washington Wizards. As part of the three-team trade, the Rockets have acquired Trevor Ariza from the Wizards.
Ariza (6-8 220, UCLA), ranks in the top five NBA players at his position in three-pointers made, three-point percentage, steals, and effective field goal percentage. He spent the last two seasons in Washington averaged 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game last season. Ariza had a career-high 40 points on March 1, 2014 including eight made 3-pointers in a 122-103 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. He improved his three-point shooting to 40.7% in the 2013-14 season, ranking him the 16th best three-point shooter in the league. Ariza had 126 steals last season, which ranks 13th in the NBA and is ranked 12th in effective field goal percentage with 56.2%. In his first stint with Houston, Ariza averaged 14.9 points and 5.6 rebounds in 77 games with the Rockets during the 2009-10 season. During that season, he registered his first triple-double of his career with 26 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds vs New Orleans on April 14, 2010.
Gee (6-6, 225, Alabama) spent the past three seasons in Cleveland, averaging 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds over the course of his five year NBA career. He went undrafted in the 2009 NBA draft and began his career in the D-League with the Austin Toros.
Hopson (6-7, 204, Tennessee) went undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft. He spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons overseas playing in Israel and Turkey. He signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 31, 2014 and spent time with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers D-League affiliate.
Asik (7-0, 255) was originally drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round (36th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft before having his draft rights traded to the Chicago Bulls. The four-year veteran has appeared in 278 games (103 starts) with the Bulls and Rockets and holds career averages of 5.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game.
In 2013-14, Asik appeared in 48 games (19 starts) and averaged 5.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 20.2 minutes per game. He started all 82 regular season contests for the Rockets in the 2012-13 season, posting career-high averages of 10.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game.
Appearing in 33 career playoff contests over his four NBA seasons, Asik holds postseason averages of 4.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 block per game.
Prior to the NBA, the Turkey native played for Fenerbahçe S.K. Istanbul from 2005-10.
Casspi has appeared in 327 games (96 starts) over the course of five NBA seasons with Sacramento, Cleveland and Houston, holding career averages of 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 20.7 minutes per game.
