The Houston Rockets are gunning for Carmelo Anthony and a trade for James Harden in a sign and trade deal could be a possibility for the Knicks over losing Melo to a free agent contract, while the team likely also has to trade Jeremy Lin to get a deal done with Anthony and this comes as the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers are also chasing the free agent.
The Rockets already started making moves to try and sign Anthony, trading away Omer Asik to clear payroll and now they could do the same with Lin. According to ESPN.com writer Chris Broussard, the team would be open to a Carmelo Anthony trade with Harden, as the Knicks could try and get something out of Melo if he decides to leave. Anthony started his free agent trips with the Bulls and now he is visiting the Rockets and they are pulling out all the stops to try and get him to sign.
The Rockets have Anthony as their main target this offseason, as they see him as the main missing piece to the championship puzzle. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Rockets are going hard in their presentation to Anthony, putting him on the video board in a Rockets jersey and also bringing in Dwight Howard to try and recruit him. Howard had help from Chandler Parsons and James Harden last year and he was convinced and now he will try and do the same with Anthony, who realistically could leave the Knicks.
Anthony has interest from the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers on top of the Knicks and Rockets and Phil Jackson still feels confident that the team can get a deal done. The Knicks can offer Anthony the most years and largest contract with five years and nearly $130 million, but at this point Melo may only be looking to win and the Rockets appear to be much closer to a title than the Knicks. Last season the Knicks missed the playoffs in a terrible eastern conference, while the Rockets ended up as the fourth seed in the west and while they lost to the Blazers in the opening round, they have a foundation for the future.
Anthony comes into the offseason after averaging 27 points per game and he is the top player on the market apart from James. The Rockets feel that they can add Anthony and automatically be in the top part of the west and the Knicks would likely be interested in acquiring a comparable scorer if they lose Anthony. The Knicks already made a deal with Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to the Mavericks and that is another team chasing Melo. The Rockets appear to be the favorites with the Bulls if he leaves, but the Knicks have Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher and that could be enough to convince Anthony to stay again.
Harden is a strong player, but Anthony is the star the Knicks traded for and they don't want to let him go. The team can go after names like Luol Deng or Kyle Lowry if it falls through, but Jackson and the Knicks want Melo.