The Houston Rockets have been tied to Carmelo Anthony for some time now. The New York Knicks have made it painfully clear that they don’t envision Anthony being a part of the franchise’s future in any way, shape or form. Anthony has a no-trade clause, and can, therefore, more or less dictate where he’s traded. Per a multitude of reports, Houston is his top choice. The two parties aren’t close on reaching a deal, reports ESPN’s Zach Lowe:
As of last week, the New York Knicks were “not close” on any deal involving Anthony, per league sources. They’ve talked on and off with the Houston Rockets for much of the summer, but there’s been no recent momentum toward a deal.
The Knicks have told people around the league recently that Houston simply doesn’t have anything that appeals to them.
The involvement of a third team could trade everything:
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported last month that Houston was looking for a third team to make a trade work. The Milwaukee Bucks emerged as a potential third team at one point, per league sources, but there was no traction toward a deal. Milwaukee has been trying to shed salary so, in all likelihood, the idea of taking back the remaining money on Ryan Anderson’s contract (three years, $60 million) in a trade wasn’t enticing.
One name that came up in those (very) preliminary talks? Bucks forward Jabari Parker, per league sources.
It’s unclear which side — the Knicks or Bucks — brought up Parker’s name. What is clear is that Parker would have been part of an outgoing package that included a larger Bucks contract, such as John Henson’s or Greg Monroe’s.
If the Knicks somehow got Jabari Parker in return for Anthony, that would be… well, significantly better than the best imaginable scenario, despite the fact that Parker’s value has to have somewhat depreciated after two ACL surgeries.
