Carmelo Anthony trade rumors: Rockets, Knicks reportedly working on a 4-team trade

Carmelo Anthony trade rumors: The New York Knicks and Houston Rockets are reportedly working on a four-team trade that would send Carmelo Anthony to the Houston Rockets.

When the Rockets front office said that they were turning their “full attention” toward acquiring Carmelo Anthony, they weren’t kidding.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets and Knicks are working on a four-team deal that would send Carmelo Anthony to Houston. The other two teams engaged in the deal are currently unknown. While all parties are motivated to come to an agreement, no deal is imminent according to the report.

It’s not surprising that Houston was forced to get a third and potentially fourth team involved on the deal. The Knicks are looking for a veteran point guard to mentor Frank Ntilikina. The Rockets traded away Patrick Beverley and other moveable assets to L.A. when they acquired Chris Paul.

The Rockets have not shied away from their intentions to compete with the best of the West. After the Rockets landed CP3, Daryl Morey explained that Houston was in a “weapons race,” per Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report.

“It’s a weapons race in the NBA. You’re either in the weapons race or on the sidelines.

The Houston Rockets were overachievers last season. After loosing Dwight Howard, basketball pundits figured that Houston would be an eighth seed playoff team at best. Instead, the Rockets won 55 games and finished with the third best record in the NBA behind James Harden’s MVP caliber year.

Can Carmelo, Chris and James play together?

There are already questions about how Paul and Harden, two point guards, will co-exist on the court this season. Anthony is also a star who prefers to play with the ball in his hands, so how can three ball dominant players remain effective?

Daryl Morey’s strategy for putting together a super team is a simple one.

Daryl Morey on ESPN was asked to sum up his basketball philosophy in one sentence:

"Get more USA Basketball team members."

— Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) July 7, 2017

Why, you ask? Because on Team USA, players who are superstars on their own teams are forced to play off the ball or even come off of the bench for an extended period of time. Carmelo Anthony has won three Olympic Gold Medals and is the all-time leading scorer for USA Men’s basketball history. He can play with other stars.

Related Story: Houston Rockets: How Would Carmelo Anthony Fit?

It’s hard to tell if a deal between New York, Houston and another team(s) will be struck today, tomorrow or next month. But it seems more and more likely as new reports surface that Melo will be suiting up in Houston before next season starts.