The Houston Rockets will get a meeting with Carmelo Anthony. Right now, that is all the team can ask for. Houston has placed heavy expectations on this offseason, chasing some of the biggest names on the market while still needing to pull off trades in order to make roster improvements. With Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik the two biggest trade targets for the Rockets, who stays and who goes in exchange for Anthony?
According to ESPN.com, Anthony will be taking a meeting with the Rockets once free agency begins. The New York Knicks guard has opted out of the final year of his contract in order to sign elsewhere now. The race for Anthony is even. Along with Houston, the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks will all be meeting with the guard as well. The Rockets have had their eye on Anthony for some time, viewing him as the final piece to their Dwight Howard, James Harden puzzle, but in order to make the signing happen, Houston must pull off nearly impossible trades.
Asik and Lin have been on the trade block since last season. Both players are signed to inflated contracts that are viewed as poison pills for a team's salary cap space. Asik and Lin are set to earn almost $15 million apiece in 2014 with an $8 million cap hit. The Rockets cannot keep those contracts on board if they want to sign Anthony to a deal of his liking. However, so far deals have been impossible for Houston to pull off with their asking price being too high.
According to Chuck Myron of HoopsRumors.com, the Rockets appear more likely to hold on to Lin while pulling off a trade of Asik. Lin has certainly been a strong asset for the Rockets. He stepped up as a starter when Patrick Beverley was injured. He averaged 12.5 points and 4.1 assists during last season while shooting 44.6 percent from the field. Myron believes that while general manager Daryl Morey will attempt to deal Lin, the Rockets seem ok with holding on to him if they can at least trade Asik.
A deal for Asik might be easier in the long run to pull. The Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks could show some serious interest in the center who has not been happy in Houston since the arrival of Howard. Houston must lower their expectations on a return for him if they want to clear the contract off the books.