Yao Ming Trade Possible, According To Report

The Houston Rockets are in talks to trade franchise center Yao Ming, according to a report by Yahoo!‘s Adrian Wojnarowski. Yao has been ruled out of the remainder of the 2010-11 season due to a stress fracture in his ankle. He also missed the entire 2009-10 season. He played five games on limited minutes earlier this year.

Yao has an expiring contract worth $17.7 million ($8 million of which is covered by insurance, according to Woj), making the Chinese center one of the most valuable potential balancing sheet counterweights in the league as the February NBA trade deadline approaches. Given how good Yao has been when he plays, that’s a sad reality. But as it appears his career might be over at age 30, there’s no question that the Rockets must prepare of life after Yao.

One way would be to include Yao in a trade for a star player, such as Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony. Last season, the Rockets parlayed the massive expiring contract of Tracy McGrady into a lightly protected 2012 first-round pick from the Knicks and an option to swap 2011 picks, with Houston also taking back lottery pick Jordan Hill and the guaranteed and too-high contract of Jared Jeffries.

It’s unclear whether teams will be as anxious to cut 2011-12 payroll this deadline as they were to do so a year ago. The 2011 free agent market is decidedly less star-studded than the 2010 version headlined by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Knicks’ eventual pull, Amar’e Stoudemire. Furthermore, Houston has been seen as a team unwilling to commit much long-term salary as a new collective bargaining agreement approaches. The Rockets have declined to negotiate extensions for eligible 2011 free agents Aaron Brooks, Shane Battier and Chuck Hayes.

The Rockets are 14-15 and just a half-game behind the Blazers for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Luis Scola and Kevin Martin have carried the scoring load in Yao’s absence. The Rockets currently sit roughly $1.2 million over the luxury tax threshold.

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