NBA Trade Rumors: Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets Must Part Ways

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is the biggest injury risk in the NBA, but his current contract is built so he can be useful off the court as well.

Ming is in the final year of his contract, and of his $17.7 million salary for the 2010-11 season, there is $8 million in insurance savings.

This makes the risk a little less frightening for opposing teams thinking about acquiring the Rockets big man.

The Rockets will be looking for a big man in return for Yao's services, either a youngster with potential or an established veteran.

The Rockets may need to take a bad contract in return as well, because Yao's salary is troublesome for most NBA teams who are already near or over the salary cap.

Yao's foot problems have caused him to miss at least 25 games in five of the last six seasons after missing just two games in his first three seasons.

If the Rockets medical staff recommends surgery for the stress fracture in Yao's foot, the healing process would likely take around ten months.

Furthermore, this surgery could end his career. A man of his size puts an enormous burden on his feet, which is the reason many men of his height and weight have short careers.

Yao has had an extraordinary career while being the face of the Houston Rockets since the day he was drafted back in 2002.

Equally important to his on the court performance has been his effect off of it in his home country of China.

Yao has brought the love of basketball to China, giving millions of children the opportunity to learn and play the game.

The Rockets don't have a tough decision. They are not going to contend in the Western conference this season, so building the roster for the future would be a wise strategy.

Yao is not the long term solution, so trading his contract for young talent is the best option going forward in Houston.

The Rockets already have some solid young players at every position, so acquiring a center that can play everyday at a high level would make them a title contender.

Teams like Atlanta, New Orleans, Dallas, and Miami all need a center who can dominate both offensively and defensively, and could be possible suitors for Yao.

The risk in acquiring Yao is immense, but the reward is equally immense.

By the time the February trade deadline approaches, at least one NBA general manager will roll the dice and take a chance that Yao will put his team above the rest.