Carmelo’s flirtation was nothing more

Interest in Heat was cursory as he appears Houston-bound

This wasn’t one that got away. This was one that went another way.

Despite meeting with Carmelo Anthony at the recent summer league in Las Vegas, the Miami Heat will not be united with the recently traded forward, with Anthony instead electing to sign with the Houston Rockets.

A party familiar with the Heat’s interaction confirmed to the South Florida Sun Sentinel that Anthony’s overtures to the Heat were mostly cursory, with the forward instead maintaining a focus on the championship-contending Rockets, an agreement that now appears imminent for the $2.4 million veteran-minimum salary.

Informed of his impending parting from the Oklahoma City Thunder due to their position against the punitive NBA luxury tax, Anthony and his representation met with Heat president Pat Riley during the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League, a meeting, according to the NBA source, that Anthony requested.

The meeting came before Anthony’s trade to the Atlanta Hawks, with a buyout now to follow.

Unlike when the Heat requested meetings with free agents such as Kevin Durant and Gordon Hayward in recent years, the Anthony interactions were not part of a Heat off-

season blueprint but rather a meeting of convenience between the two parties.

The meeting came at a time when Anthony also met with representatives of the Rockets, amid concern about Anthony’s relationship on the New York Knicks with Mike D’Antoni, who now is the Rockets’ coach. That, apparently, is no longer viewed as an impediment.

With Anthony now seemingly committed to the Rockets, as reported Monday by the New York Times, it leaves the Heat in possession of their $5.3 million mid-level exception, a salary-cap component long viewed as the mechanism for a potential return by free-agent guard Dwyane Wade. There had been thought that, if interested in the Heat, Anthony would have requested that remaining Heat salary-cap chip.

With the Heat, Anthony, 34, could have had the opportunity to rebuild his value, possibly while starting at power forward, where James Johnson started at the end of this past season.

Anthony ended last season saying he did not want to play as a reserve, which likely would have been his fate with the Thunder going forward. The Heat’s starting forwards at the end of last season were Johnson and Josh Richardson.

The Rockets lost their top two options at small forward from last season’s roster when Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute departed in free agency.

A Heat move for Anthony would have represented somewhat of a departure from the Heat’s developmental approach. Among those whose playing time Anthony could have impacted were Johnson, Justise Winslow and Bam Adebayo.

The Heat have three open roster spots for next season, enough to accommodate Wade, veteran power forward Udonis Haslem and an additional player. Already under contract to the Heat for 2018-19 are Hassan Whiteside, Kelly Olynyk, Bam Adebayo, James Johnson, Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters, Tyler Johnson, Goran Dragic, Wayne Ellington, Derrick Jones Jr. and Rodney McGruder. Undrafted Michigan forward Duncan Robinson is on a two-way contract and does not count against that total.

Teams are allowed to carry 20 players during the offseason, then limited to 15 during the regular season.

One area where Anthony could have boosted the Heat would have been his 3-point shooting, at least his volume of conversions, having made a career-high 169 last season. In addition, with the Heat lacking a closer last season prior to Wade’s February return, Anthony closed last season ranked 12th in the NBA in one-on-one scoring according to Synergy Basketball.