NBA Trade Rumors: Rockets Close To Landing Carmelo Anthony After Completing Harden’s New Deal

The Houston Rockets are rumored to have more big moves on the way, with reports that the team is zeroing in on a trade for Carmelo Anthony after giving James Harden the biggest extension in NBA history.

On Saturday, the Rockets followed through on a major part of their offseason reload by giving Harden a $228-million extension that will keep him under contract through 2023. The next part appears to be a trade for Carmelo Anthony, which is rumored to be even closer now that Harden has been locked down. After already landing Chris Paul, adding Anthony would be a major boon for the Rockets.

ESPN is reporting that the Houston Rockets now have their “full attention” on landing the All-Star forward. Anthony has reportedly told the Knicks that he will waive his no-trade clause for a trade to the Rockets.

The Knicks and Rockets had been in talks stretching back several days, but reports indicated that they slowed down ahead of Harden’s extension. Those talks picked up again over the weekend and rumors indicate that the teams are growing closer to getting it done. The Knicks deal to land Tim Hardaway, Jr. reportedly pushed the Knicks to be even more willing to deal Anthony.

If the Rockets and Knicks can complete the deal, it would help vault Houston to one of the main contenders for the Western Conference and a formidable opponent to the largely unbeatable Golden State Warriors. The Rockets would be able to unload Ryan Anderson and replace him with a player who is better at nearly every aspect of the game, The Dream Shake noted.

https://twitter.com/SportsQuotient/status/881741594231062528

As the report noted, Carmelo Anthony was able to average 22.4 points per game, six rebounds, and three assists, even while playing for “a moribund organization and an executive who tried to make his life miserable.”

ESPN story co-reported with @WindhorstESPN: James Harden locked into $228M deal, Rockets in hot pursuit of "Melo. https://t.co/6w9nHfAP4E

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 8, 2017

While the NBA trade rumors are heating up, it’s still not entirely clear what the Houston Rockets might send to the New York Knicks in order to land Carmelo Anthony. Kurt Helin of NBC Sports noted that it would probably take a combination of draft picks, non-guaranteed contracts to save the Knicks money, and a player like Eric Gordon or Ryan Anderson to get the deal done.

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