

Howard, a seven-time All-NBA center, committed to signing with the the Rockets on Friday, leaving the Los Angeles Lakers after a tumultuous season. The luring of Howard to Houston makes the Rockets legitimate Western Conference championship contenders, and they could be NBA title contenders with further supplements to what's become a rapidly improving roster.

The New Orleans Pelicans have expressed interest in making a deal for Rockets backup center Omer Asik, multiple league sources told Yahoo! Sports.