NBA Trade Rumors: Rockets Deal For Carmelo Anthony Picking Up Steam, Expected To Be Completed Within Days


The NBA trade rumors surrounding Carmelo Anthony that once appeared dead are now back, with reports that the Houston Rockets will be finalizing a deal for the New York Knicks star within days.

The Knicks have been working for weeks to deal their All-Star forward, and a little more than a week ago appeared to be in the final stages of completing a three-way deal that would send him to Houston. That deal fell apart at the last minute, and the Knicks were sent back to the drawing board looking for a deal shipping Anthony out of town.

With the Knicks signing Tim Hardaway Jr. to a giant offer sheet, it seemed a certainty that Carmelo Anthony would be gone before the start of next season, though the destination seemed unclear. But now there are reports that the Houston Rockets have again picked up the trade talks with the Knicks, and are nearing completion.

Tarek Fattal of the Los Angeles Daily News reported that the trade sending Carmelo Anthony to the Houston Rockets could be completed as early as this week.

There had been some other suitors emerging for Carmelo Anthony. The Cleveland Cavaliers had been identified as the other team in close consideration for Anthony, and the rumors surrounding the Cavs heated up this week with reports that Kyrie Irving is demanding a trade.

A report from ESPN’s Ian Begley claimed that the Knicks would put together a hefty package, including Carmelo Anthony and an a number of future first-round picks, as trade bait for Kyrie Krving.

But even as those NBA trade rumors heated up, there were signs that the Houston Rockets would be the eventual destination for Carmelo Anthony. Shortly after word of Irving’s trade demand circulated, the New York Daily News reported that Anthony had remained “focused on getting a deal done with Houston” rather than Cleveland.

The NBA trade rumors would certainly make sense for all those involved. The Knicks seem committed to shipping Carmelo Anthony as a major part of their rebuilding process, and the move would also allow Anthony to be free of what has become an increasingly toxic situation with Knicks management. For the Houston Rockets, landing Carmelo would add to an already busy offseason in which they inked James Harden to a record contract extension and sprung a deal for Chris Paul. Adding Anthony would vault Houston to the top of the heap of teams looking to challenge the Golden State Warriors for Western Conference supremacy.

[Featured by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images]

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