The problem with trading for Yao Ming is you don’t know if he will ever be healthy. He is the Bob Sanders of the NBA. When he is even semi healthy he is one of the top centers in the league. If you trade for him and catch lightening in a bottle he could be an asset to any team.
But does anyone want to take the risk?
The lure of acquiring Yao for potential suitors is the $8 million in savings that insurance will provide for his $17.7 million expiring contract this season. Some teams are considering re-signing Yao on a short-term deal with hopes of restoring him to playing health, while others see his contract as a cost-saving measure.
Once one of the dominant players in the NBA, Yao, 30, will miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his left ankle. There are serious questions about his ability to return to the NBA on a full-time basis.
It is definitely a gamble and maybe Yao can take on a Bill Walton sixth man type role in the future. If he is traded it will be a marketing boom for whatever city gets him, since he is still a huge star in China, those international dollars may offset the risk.
I don’t blame the Rockets, they have done all they can and it is time for them to move on from Yao.