Knicks confident about trading Carmelo Anthony to Rockets
Carmelo Anthony has agreed to waive his no-trade clause for the Houston Rockets and the Knicks feel confident about getting a deal done.
The Houston Rockets aren’t scared of the Golden State Warriors. The team, constructed by general manager Daryl Morey, believes there’s a way to dethrone Golden State and put a hold on their dynastic potential. Step one was acquiring Chris Paul via trade from the Los Angeles Clippers. Step two is acquiring a capable star wing player. After missing out on Paul George, who’s heading to Oklahoma, the team has set its sights on Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks.
Anthony is open to waiving his no-trade, according to ESPN’s Ian Begley, in order to team-up with the bearded one in James Harden and off the court friend in Paul. Heading to H-Town is a win-win for Anthony. He would leave a Knicks organization which publicly scrutinized him along with holding him as trade and buyout bait for over a year. Heading to Houston gives Anthony a real shot on a contender, and puts him in a position where he doesn’t need to be the alpha. Anthony having another perimeter player has always brought the best out of him, and according to Begley, a deal could be imminent.
"On the Anthony front, the Knicks and Anthony feel good about the possibility of completing a deal that sends him out of New York, according to sources. The Knicks and Rockets have talked about an Anthony trade recently, with Wojnarowski reporting that “the Rockets have been persistent in their pursuit of Anthony, who is willing to waive his no-trade clause to join Paul and James Harden in Houston and the Knicks do not imagine a scenario where Hardaway is sharing the floor with Anthony to start the season."
Anthony averaged 22.4 points and 5.9 rebounds (lowest since 2005-06) per game. When it comes to his usage as a ball dominant player, and possibly playing alongside Harden and Paul, Anthony posted his lowest usage percentage (29.1) since his rookie year last season.
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If the trade is completed, Anthony will return to his winning ways and be back to the playoffs, something he hasn’t experienced since 2013. That was when the Knicks advanced to the second-round and won 50+ games, along with Anthony being in the MVP conversation and preventing his buddy, LeBron James, from becoming the league’s first unanimous MVP by a single vote.