It’s official: Melo’s a Rocket
$2.4 million, 1-year deal lands Anthony
Should the Rockets face Golden State in the playoffs again next season, they will have Carmelo Anthony on their side.
The Rockets signed Anthony to a one-year, $2.4 million contract Monday. Shortly after noon, general manager Daryl Morey welcomed Anthony to the Rockets via a tweet.
Anthony, 34, was traded from Oklahoma City to Atlanta in July in a salary-cap move by the Thunder, and the Hawks bought out Anthony’s contract, making him a free agent. Anthony will receive his full $25.4 million contract that was owed him by the Thunder.
The Rockets’ signing doesn’t pack the punch of the Lakers adding LeBron James, but the Rockets are counting on the quartet of shooting guard and reigning NBA MVP James Harden, point guard Chris Paul, center Clint Capela and Anthony, a 6-8 forward, to propel
the franchise in the 2019 postseason.
“Obviously, there are a lot of egos, a lot of talent,” Harden said this summer, prior to Anthony signing. “But some of that has to be sacrificed for us to get to where we need to go. Everybody in the world knows what Carmelo brings, how gifted and talented he is, and he still has a lot more to go.”
Anthony is a 10-time All-Star and has averaged 24.1 points on 44.9 percent shooting over 16 seasons. He averaged a careerlow 16.2 points last season with Oklahoma City, where he spent one year following seven-plus seasons with Denver and sixplus with New York.
His shooting touch would have come in handy for the Rockets in May, especially with the Rockets grasping an 11-point lead in the third quarter of Game 7 of the Western Conference finals against the Warriors at Toyota Center.
With Paul sidelined by a hamstring injury in the series’ final two games, the Warriors erased the double-digit deficit in what turned out to be the Rockets’ final half of the season, with the home team missing 27 consecutive 3-pointers in what became a nine-point Golden State victory.
The Warriors went on to sweep James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, leaving the Rockets wondering what might have been following the second-half collapse.
“We all know how easy he can score the basketball,” Harden said of Anthony.
Anthony’s signing comes after small forwards Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute left the Rockets this offseason.
The Rockets also traded seldom-used backup center Chinanu Onuaku to the Dallas Mavericks for cash, and the Mavericks own the right to swap secondround NBA draft selections with the Rockets in 2020. But the Rockets’ pick will be protected if it is between 31-40.
The Rockets saved money on the luxury tax that comes with a high payroll by ridding themselves of Onuaku's contract.
The Rockets selected Onuaku, 21, in the second round of the 2016 draft out of Louisville. He played in six games combined over the past two seasons, spending most of his time with Rio Grande Valley, the Rockets’ NBA G League affiliate.
Anthony led Syracuse to the 2003 national title and was named the Final Four’s most outstanding player. Anthony scored 33 points in Syracuse’s victory over the Longhorns in the 2003 Final Four.