NBA Trade Rumors: Rockets and Knicks are talking Carmelo again
By Joe Romano
The Rockets and Knicks have picked up their Carmelo Anthony trade talks again in hopes of bringing Melo to Houston.
Carmelo Anthony has told people that he has only one team he is willing to waive his no-trade clause for; the Houston Rockets.
The 10-time NBA All-Star has been in trade rumors all summer. The teams have ranged from the Cleveland Cavaliers, to most recently the New Orleans Pelicans. However, Anthony holds most of the power in these negotiations. Thanks to Phil Jackson and Knicks management, Carmelo Anthony is one of the few players in the NBA with a no-trade clause.
The biggest hurdle to uniting Carmelo with fellow Rockets’ All Stars James Harden and Chris Paul is the Ryan Anderson contract. Anderson has three years and $60 million left on the deal he signed in 2016.
The Rockets and Knicks are looking to add a third team to the mix to take on the Anderson deal but options remain limited. Cap space is an incredible commodity in today’s NBA and few teams have the space to simply absorb Anderson. Those teams would also demand a pricey return from Houston and/or New York to help facilitate the deal.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN also points to the firing of Phil Jackson as playing a part in stalling these trade talks.
"Houston and New York made significant progress on a deal when Phil Jackson was Knicks president, but that changed with the hiring of new general manager Scott Perry, who has been far more particular about the package he’d want in return for Anthony."
The new general manager was hoping to change Anthony’s mind about returning to New York. Those efforts are failing and it looks like a divorce between the two is all but certain.
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Now the Knicks will look to get younger around budding star Kristaps Porzingis, recently signed Tim Hardaway Jr. and first round pick Frank Ntilikina. The return for Anthony will likely come from another team than Houston but the Knicks are in a very tough spot with the current face of their franchise.