NBA Trade Rumors: Knicks And Rockets Re-Start Carmelo Anthony Talks, But Deal May Not Come Until Season Starts

The NBA trade rumors that appeared to be dead are suddenly alive again, with reports that the Knicks and Rockets have revived talks on a deal for Carmelo Anthony.

The two teams appeared to have all the details for a trade finalized last month, with reports that they were at the goal line and only minor details needed to be worked out. But those minor details quickly turned major, and the talks fell apart about midway through July. Though there have been some whispers that the teams remained interested in a deal, there didn’t appear to be any formal movement on the deal until this week.

On Thursday, league sources told ESPN that the teams were back to the drawing board, and Carmelo Anthony himself could be giving it a major boost. According to the report, Anthony will still only waive his no-trade clause for the Rockets, giving the Knicks that much more of a push to get the deal done.

After the fallout between Anthony and the team’s front office management, it appears certain that the All-Star forward will be on another team last year. That was made even more clear when the Knicks extended a hefty offer sheet to Tim Hardaway Jr. Sources close to the team said the Knicks never intended Anthony and Hardaway to play on the floor together.

As ESPN noted, there could be a familiar sticking point between the Knicks and Rockets this time around. The last time the deal fell apart, it was reportedly Rockets forward Ryan Anderson’s contract — with three years and $60 million remaining — that led to the difficulties. Anderson’s contract will again be problematic, ESPN noted, with the Knicks much more firm on not taking Anderson now that Phil Jackson is out as president and new general manager Scott Perry in charge of operations.

Sources on ESPN: Knicks, Rockets re-engage on Carmelo Anthony trade talks, but hurdles remain to a deal. https://t.co/ZjVxzoYyyc

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 10, 2017

There is apparently growing interest in Carmelo Anthony across the league. This week, DeMarcus Cousins made a public pitch for Anthony to join him on the New Orleans Pelicans, and C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard have been pushing for Melo to join the Portland Trail Blazers.

2017 NBA Trade Rumor: DeMarcus Cousins may be trying to lure Carmelo Anthony to New Orleans https://t.co/nktswlTy0n pic.twitter.com/tfViSxRyJT

— The Bird Writes (@thebirdwrites) August 7, 2017

With much work still to be done between the teams, there are new rumors suggesting that the trade could not come until after the start of the NBA season. So while the deal will likely get done one way or the other, fans could see Carmelo Anthony starting the year wearing a New York Knicks jersey.

[Featured Image by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images]