At 5 p.m. Eastern Wednesday, Carmelo Anthony will clear waivers and soon after his signing with the Houston Rockets will be official.
Anthony, alone, does not solve the Rockets’ questions on the wing, however. They also have solid rotation players in James Ennis and Gerald Green on the roster, but the Rockets are looking to add one more player to the rotation. They have talked with the Atlanta Hawks about a Kent Bazemore trade (allegedly for Ryan Anderson and a first-round pick, although if I were Atlanta I would hold out for more, that pick would be one of the last in the first round next year).
That’s not the only place the Rockets are looking, Zach Lowe of ESPN said during his recent podcast (with Chris Herring of 538).“I’ve heard [the Rockets] have talked to the Heat. The Heat are kicking a lot of tires. I can’t figure out what they’re trying to do, but I could see like Tyler Johnson, same package, same idea: two years of salary left at about the same number. One guy is a better fit [against] the Warriors, one guy’s not [in Ryan Anderson]. Is our first-round pick to a team that is out of future first-round pick good enough?”
“I’ve heard [the Rockets] have also kicked the tires on JR Smith. That’d be good.”
Nobody knows what direction the Rockets ultimately will go or where they will be able to find a trade that works for them. Teams are not lining up to take on two years of that Ryan Anderson contract (even though he can still play and provide value).
The point is that GM Daryl Morey is not done — he wants to add another player on the wing, one that helps them match up better with the Warriors. Golden State remains the target for Houston (and every other team in the league).
