Throughout the summer, Carmelo Anthony’s name has been linked to the Houston Rockets in trade rumors, as several reports have indicated that the New York Knicks have been in contact with the franchise over the last month involving a potential deal. Here’s why Houston should continue pursuing the 10-time All-Star.
The Houston Rockets have arguably put together their greatest offseason in recent memory under general manager Daryl Morey.
Over the summer, the team locked up James Harden for the foreseeable future, signing the five-time All-Star to the richest contract extension in league history. Houston also acquired two valuable perimeter defenders in Luc Mbah A Moute and P.J. Tucker via free agency.
However, that’s not all the Rockets did.
In a move that caught many by surprise, Houston sought to provide their face of the franchise in Harden with some additional help in the backcourt, landing point guard Chris Paul in a sign-and-trade deal with the Los Angeles Clippers on June 28.
Yet, there is another star who has been linked to Houston as of late. One that could help the Rockets put themselves one step closer toward competing with the Golden State Warriors.
His name? Carmelo Anthony.
The 33-year-old forward is reportedly interested in pursuing Houston as his only potential trade destination, and is one of the game’s most prolific players who can score from anywhere on the floor.
Anthony, a 10-time All-Star, possesses the proficiency to punish teams with his ability to exploit mismatches down low and shoot from the perimeter.
His strength and quickness in the post, combined with his crafty skills to create space off the dribble, has made him a nightmare opponent for most of his peers over the last 14 seasons and beyond. There are few players currently in the league who have come through late in games for his team as often as the Syracuse product.
Since the 2003-04 season, Anthony has hit a total of 16 game-winning shots within the final five seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime, proving to his skeptics that he can come through in big moments when the opportunity presents itself.
This makes him the perfect fit for the team that resides in Clutch City.
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A trade most certainly appears to be all but inevitable at this point, and while talks have been fairly dormant between the Rockets and New York Knicks as of late, one cannot help but wonder when it might eventually come into fruition.
Anthony would provide the Rockets with an added offensive dimension that they need to combat the Warriors’ attack, as his range from beyond the arc would force opponents to play him tight, take advantage of favorable matchups, and open up possible driving lanes for Harden and Paul.
He could also seek to move to the power forward spot when teams seek to play small, and help the Rockets spread the floor alongside of players such as Trevor Ariza and Clint Capela.
There is no question that he would have a bevy of open looks within Mike D’Antoni‘s offense, as Anthony has shown that he has the capacity to take his game to another level alongside premier talent on stages such as the Olympics.
Based upon his most recent workouts over the last few months, Anthony is not showing any signs of slowing down.
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This all should indicate that he is truly worth pursuing, as the Rockets should do whatever it takes to put themselves in position to win a championship.