The NBA trade rumors have reportedly gotten Carmelo Anthony pretty unhappy, spelling a likely exit from the New York Knicks and a possible path remaining to join the Houston Rockets.
For more than a week, there had been talks between the Knicks and Houston to deal Anthony to the growing Western Conference powerhouse. Though the deal itself was complicated — rumors indicated that it would require at least three and possibly as many as four teams to get it past the finish line — reports throughout the week seemed positive and it appeared a deal was well within reach.
That changed late in the week, with reports that the talks stalled. As NBC Sports reported, the Knicks were trying to get Carmelo Anthony to consider another deal to a different team.
“The Knicks have paused trade talks with Houston, reportedly because they hope Anthony – who possesses a no-trade clause – will accept a trade to a team he wants to join less than the Rockets. Maybe finalizing terms to hire Scott Perry will get the ball rolling, but for now, Anthony is left in limbo.”
The report added that Carmelo Anthony was “dismayed” at how the talks fell apart and didn’t want a “messy divorce” from the dysfunctional franchise.
It’s not clear where the trade talks will go next, though it does seem clear that Carmelo Anthony won’t be wearing a New York Knicks uniform this year. It seems that the Houston Rockets remain a possibility, and James Harden sounded like he had hope for the trade going through.
“I let the front office deal with that,” Harden said (via ESPN ). “If we can get him, obviously he would help our team tremendously. What we have right now in our locker room is pretty good.”
JUST IN: @nyknicks – @HoustonRockets deal to send Carmelo to Houston “is at the two yard line” https://t.co/ZylQiIy41E – @FisolaNYDN pic.twitter.com/jFBhZYFW8F
— NY Daily News Sports (@NYDNSports) July 12, 2017
It’s not entirely clear how much momentum the Knicks and Rockets might still have after the trade talks died, but it sounds as if nearly all of the work was completed. Reports said the trade was “at the 2-yard line” before falling apart, so it is a possibility that those talks could be revived if the complicating factors are worked out. The Knicks reportedly wanted nothing to do with stretch forward Ryan Anderson and the more than $61 million remaining on his contract, and it was not clear if one of the other teams involved would have been taking Anderson.
There could be a push from Carmelo Anthony himself. The rumors around the NBA indicate that he is very unhappy with how the Knicks handled the trade situation, though the Knicks are reportedly considering keeping him next year. That seems unlikely, but whether Anthony ends up on the Rockets or some other team remains to be seen.
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