Carmelo Anthony nearly ended up with the Houston Rockets last offseason, and Rockets point guard Chris Paul is pushing for the Rockets to pursue the move once again, Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Schultz reported Sunday.
According to ESPN.com’s Dave McMenamin, Anthony’s business manager met with a Rockets group that included Paul during Houston’s NBA Summer League game against the Golden State Warriors:
Carmelo Anthony’s business manager, Bay Frazier, spent much of the first half of the Rockets-Warriors summer league game here in Vegas tonight sitting with a HOU contingent of Mike D’Antoni, Chris Paul, Tillman Fertitta and John Lucas II
ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Royce Young reported the Oklahoma City Thunder are working with Anthony’s representatives to secure his departure from the team.
Wojnarowksi and Young included the Rockets as one of three teams that would likely express interest in the 10-time All-Star, along with the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
Houston could view Anthony as a replacement for Trevor Ariza. Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania reported Ariza agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal with the Phoenix Suns.
If that’s the case, then it would be a downgrade for the Rockets.
Anthony’s move to the Thunder allowed him to show he’s capable of being a third scoring option for a contending team, and he didn’t deliver encouraging results.
Anthony shot 35.7 percent on three-pointers in 2017-18, not a significant jump from his career average (34.7 percent). According to NBA.com, he also hit 38.9 percent of his catch-and-shoot opportunities. Surrounding Anthony with Russell Westbrook and Paul George did little to improve his efficiency.
Most concerning, the Thunder had a minus-14.3 net rating with Anthony on the court in the postseason, per NBA.com. He was basically unplayable in the playoffs, when a player’s flaws are magnified on every possession.
Granted, the Rockets made their critics look foolish with the way they seamlessly paired Paul with James Harden, but it’s hard to see how acquiring Anthony makes them better suited to dethrone the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
