The Houston Rockets will sign Carmelo Anthony once he clears waivers. Here’s a look at how that will all play out.
On July 23, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported that veteran Carmelo Anthony had decided he would sign with the Houston Rockets upon clearing waivers, once his trade to the Atlanta Hawks becomes official. The deal will be very team-friendly, and that is no surprise because of how tight money is around the league.
The deal is reported to be a one-year, $2.4 million deal for the veteran minimum. Money is certainly not an issue for Anthony because of his past earnings, and of course we all know of his impending buyout with the Hawks.
The Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to trade Melo to Atlanta in a three-team deal that will send Dennis Schroder to the OKC.
The Rockets signing Anthony is a great move, but not everyone agrees on that.
If Carmelo Anthony signs with the Rockets, @SportsLine projections DECREASE Houston’s championship chances from 4.8% to 3.9%. pic.twitter.com/srTl18ZJ8M
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) July 23, 2018
CBS Sports projected that the Rockets will actually decrease their championship chances by signing the veteran forward. Projections are projections and they don’t really mean anything. For all anyone knows, it could be the best signing of the summer.
For now, this union means that the Rockets have found a replacement for some of the players that departed this summer (mainly Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute). It will be interesting to see how they all fit together this season, and possibly a few more down the line. Anthony is very close to Chris Paul and has talked about teaming up with the All-Star point guard for years now, so this signing comes as no surprise.
The Rockets have always been thought to be one of the headliners to snag Anthony. He was traded to the Thunder last offseason in what looked to be a great move for the team. There were some issues last season about Anthony and whether or not he should start.
More from Houston Rockets
- 5 NBA players everyone should be keeping a close eye on in 2023-24
- 5 NBA teams on the rise that will surprise everyone in 2023-24
- The latest intel has Houston ready to overpay for two free agency targets
- NBA Rumors: Houston has a polarizing backup plan if they don’t land Harden
- NBA Rumors: Houston could make a win-now trade for a star this summer
Now that he’s on the Rockets, he gets another fresh start to hopefully rejuvenated his successful career. He had a fairly good season last year, but nothing close to what we’re used to seeing from him.
For all the fantastic things he’s done in his career, Anthony has never won a ring. Signing with the Rockets gives him a good chance, but again that means that they’ll have to get by the Golden State Warriors.
Last season, Melo averaged 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Scoring isn’t necessarily everything, but for Anthony, that’s always been a big part of his career. Last season, his career average was at 22.4 points per game. His 2017-18 season saw about a six point drop-off, but a lot of that is credited to not being the No.1 option in OKC.
The Rockets are still getting a guy who knows how to play the game of basketball and could be a huge help to the team. If he doesn’t help out like people anticipate, there really isn’t any reason to complain because he’s only making $2.4 million. There are a lot of other players who are getting paid more that aren’t as good as him.
At that price, the Rockets should be celebrating. He’s 34 years old, so his best days are behind him. There’s still a chance for him to win a ring in Houston, but again they will have to get past the Warriors. For the price, what he offers and what he’s done in the past, this is a great signing for the Rockets.
Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Grade: A+