Carmelo Anthony’s NBA career took another detour Monday. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported that the Houston Rockets have agreed to send Anthony and cash to the Bulls.
Houston Rockets trade Carmelo Anthony to Chicago Bulls
The 10-time NBA All-Star signed a 1-year contract for the veteran minimum in August, in part because former New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni is now with the Rockets. D’Antoni coached Anthony for two seasons in New York.
However, Anthony played just 10 games for the Rockets, starting two, before the organization announced Nov. 15 that it would be “parting ways” with the aging former superstar. Anthony averaged 13.4 points in 29.4 minutes this season for Houston.
Wojnarowski also reported that the Chicago Bulls plan to release Anthony, meaning that the rest of the NBA will have an opportunity to claim him on waivers, or else he’ll become a free agent. Wojnarowski did report that wait to release Anthony until the trade deadline in order to explore a 1-for-1 deal with another team.
Who have the Rockets Signed to their Squad?
The Rockets have signed veteran Kenneth Faried, but because the NBA will not execute this trade due to the holiday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), the Rockets had to waive to James Nunnally to ensure that Faried can play tonight at Philadelphia (8 p.m. ET tip-off).
Before the trade, Anthony had played for four different NBA franchises, including the Denver Nuggets (2003-11), New York Knicks (2011-17) and Oklahoma City Thunder (2017-18).
Although Anthony has expressed a desire to continue his NBA career, he’s struggled like many former superstars with a reduced role. It’s also interesting that the Bulls took Anthony’s contract off the Rockets’ hands in exchange for cash, which some are already comparing to a legal bribe.
Another question that comes to mind, how will this affect the Bulls odds to win the NBA Championship this year? Let’s take a look at our online sportsbook and see what are the Bulls odds are of making it with Melo.
