Houston Rockets Rumors: MeloWatch is officially in full swing

Carmelo Anthony has been traded by the Thunder to the Hawks. A buyout of his contract is expected soon. The Houston Rockets are the frontrunners to land the forward.

The Houston Rockets may finally be able to make their first big splash of the offseason. Carmelo Anthony, Justin Anderson, and a 2022 first round pick were shipped off to the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks, in turn, sent Dennis Schroder to the Thunder and Mike Muscala to the 76ers. The 76ers also sent Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot to the Thunder.

This is just the next step in Melo seeking out the team he wants to play on. The Thunder were holding off on buying him out to see if they could recoup their investment. They found a willing partner in the Hawks who now are, reportedly, working on orchestrating a buy-out with Melo.

According to David Aldridge of Turner Sports, Melo has been telling those close to him that he will land with the Houston Rockets. It appears that this year plus long rumor might finally be coming to fruition.

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Melo to the Houston Rockets is forgone conclusion for most. I, however, am skeptical of the fit and the cost. Melo has been very forward with the fact that he doesn’t see himself as the first guy off of the bench. His offensive return could be great if he can accept a smaller role but, that’s not a sure thing either. He also adds hardly any defensive value.

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This marriage of player and team seems bound to happen. The Houston Rockets seem to be readying to add the cost of Melo by attempting to trade Ryan Anderson. Trading Ryno would go a long way to making this deal easier to stomach as it is hard to see Melo taking a cheaper deal to come to Houston.

Melo should be bought out in no time by the Hawks. After that, it may take a little bit to agree upon terms for him to become a member of the Houston Rockets. However, by this time next week, I’d expect there to at least be some sort of verbal agreement between the two parties.

The fit may not be ideal. The lack of defensive value definitely hurts. But, imagining Mike D’Antoni running a high scoring offense in the playoffs led by James Harden and Chris Paul being flanked by Eric Gordon and Melo is an exciting prospect. This unit would be one of the most dangerous units, offensively, in the league.

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So, whether you like it or not, Melo is practically already wearing a Houston Rockets uniform. It seems to be a matter of when, not if, this deal takes place. Brace yourself because MeloWatch is officially happening. And, it’s happening very soon.

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