Rockets reach $25 million deal with Omer Asik, Bulls have until July 14 to match

The Houston Rockets have reached a three-year deal with center Omer Asik worth a reported $25.1 million and the Chicago Bulls have until July 14 to match the offer, tweeted Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Players can begin signing with teams on July 11.

Asik made $1.8 million with the Bulls last season, his second year in the league after playing in his native Turkey. He played in all 66 games last season, averaging 3.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and one block in just under 15 minutes per game for the Bulls.

He would make nearly $15 million in his third year with the Rockets, tweeted K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. To put into context, LeBron James was paid $14.5 million by the Miami Heat in the 2011-12 season. Johnson writes that despite the competitive offer from the Rockets, the Bulls would be better off retaining Asik and using the team amnesty clause to get rid of Carlos Boozer and the four years and $32 million owed to him.

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