Report: Carmelo Anthony could sign with Rockets if bought out by Knicks
The Houston Rockets acquired Chris Paul in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, and they may not be done adding superstar players.
Shortly after Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that Paul is headed to Houston, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reported that Carmelo Anthony could be the next player to join the Rockets if he gets a buyout from the New York Knicks.
Stephen A. Smith reporting that if Carmelo Anthony receives a buyout from the NY Knicks, he'll head to Houston to join Harden and CP3.
— Fletcher Mackel (@FletcherWDSU) June 28, 2017
Anthony’s biggest issues with the Knicks seemed to stem from his relationship with Phil Jackson, so it’s unclear how Jackson’s departure will impact the situation. If James Dolan fired Jackson in part because of the bad blood between Phil and Carmelo, it would stand to reason that the Knicks will not be granting Anthony a buyout.
A report from earlier in the week indicated that the Knicks were not open to buying out Anthony’s contract because they don’t want him signing with a certain team, but the Rockets are not that team. Still, the ideal scenario for New York would be to find a team that is willing to trade for Carmelo.