The Rockets send forward Ryan Anderson to the Suns for two players.
Rookie Melton also in Suns deal for Chriss, Knight
When the Rockets signed Carmelo Anthony, it served to take Ryan Anderson another step removed from the team’s rotation.
The Rockets solved that problem when they traded the veteran forward to the Phoenix Suns for young forward Marquese Chriss and point guard Brandon Knight. The Rockets also are sending second-round pick De'Anthony Melton to the Suns to complete the deal.
Melton had a strong showing with the Rockets' Summer League team, but he’d become a key to sweeten a deal to move the two years and $41.7 million remaining on Anderson's contract.
Chriss, 21, averaged 8.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in his first two seasons after he was the eighth pick of the 2016 draft. The Rockets likely will seek to develop the 6-10 Chriss as a power forward and backup center, using his skills as a rim-runner on screens.
Chriss could become part of the mix as a backup big man. As with Knight competing for playing time with Michael Carter-Williams, Chriss will compete with Zhou Qi and Isaiah Hartenstein for that job. But Chriss, a top-10 pick with two seasons of experience in the NBA, should expect to hold his own with a pair of inexperience second rounders.
Knight, 26, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, has averaged 15.2 points and 4.3 assists in six seasons. He was considered one of the NBA's more promising young point guards, averaging 19.6 points and 5.1 assists in the 2015-16 season with the Suns before his injury issues.
The Rockets generally play three guards, four if Gerald Green is considered a two guard, with Chris Paul working as the backup point. That will not leave much playing time for anyone, but there were times last season when the Rockets needed another point guard.
Even if the Rockets don’t go through the injury issues they had last season, they likely will want to give Paul some time off. A fill-in point guard has to play well to be a better option than using Eric Gordon as the backup with Green in a secondteam backcourt, but Knight has the potential to fill that role.
Knight, like Anderson, is signed for two more seasons, worth $30.2 million.
Anderson had been among the keys to the Rockets' retooled offense under Mike D'Antoni in 2016-17 with his shooting range valuable in the system. But he struggled in his second season with the Rockets and was replaced in the starting lineup by P.J. Tucker. By the Western Conference finals against Golden State, Anderson rarely played with the Rockets' switching style exposing him defensively.
The Rockets plan to play Anthony often at power forward, which would have made it more difficult for Anderson to get playing time.
Anderson, a 10-year veteran, averaged 11.6 points with the Rockets, making 39.6 percent of his 3-pointers.