The Houston Rockets finished with a 55-27 record last season, and while they exited the playoffs early, they surpassed most of their expectations while being led by MVP runner-up James Harden.

Therefore, when Houston was able to land coveted free agent point guard Chris Paul in a sign-and-trade from the Los Angeles Clippers, the franchise as a whole made a gigantic shift towards becoming a legitimate NBA title contender now with arguably the best backcourt in the entire league.

But, they might not be done.

According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, the possibility of adding perennial All-Star Carmelo Anthony is becoming more and more realistic.

“On the Anthony front, the Knicks and Anthony feel good about the possibility of completing a deal that sends him out of New York, according to sources. The Knicks and Rockets have talked about an Anthony trade recently, with Wojnarowski reporting that ‘the Rockets have been persistent in their pursuit of Anthony, who is willing to waive his no-trade clause to join Paul and James Harden in Houston.”

While it doesn’t appear that there are any ongoing talks or that a deal is in the works at the moment, if a third team gets involved for salary reasons, Anthony could make up one of the best Big Threes in the league.

Ryan Anderson’s deal in particular is troublesome, as he’s due just over $19.5 million next season and then over $20.4 in 2018-2019 and then over $21.2 in 2019-2020. Therefore, getting a third team involved would be necessary to acquire Melo while maintaining the correct financials.

While Knicks fans probably would welcome the sight of Melo riding off into the sunset, one person in the organization definitely doesn’t want him to leave. Tim Hardaway Jr., who signed a four-year, $71 million deal to return to the club, thinks he could learn a thing or two from the veteran.

"Yes, we definitely want him back -- no question," Hardaway said during his introduction with the Knicks on Monday. "Just having that veteran leader out there on the floor, a go-to guy who can get you a bucket any given moment of the game, it's great. It's great to have that. You want to have that. It'll be tough for him to leave. But like I say, he has to do what's best for him and his family.” 

However, Begley reported that “the Knicks do not imagine a scenario where Hardaway is sharing the floor with Anthony to start the season.’”

Given the current disarray of the Knicks’ front office, now is probably not an optimal time for the organization to make a deal. However, since the Rockets currently has just four other players (Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza and Clint Capela) under contract who played significant minutes last season, Houston runs the risk of being stuck with their current roster if they don’t make a deal happen soon.