After reportedly being traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Atlanta Hawks, Carmelo Anthony is expected to be waived soon which should pave the way for a move to the Houston Rockets.
According to NBA.com's David Aldridge, the veteran has been telling people for weeks that he expects to join the Texas-based franchise.
As soon as his trade to the Hawks becomes official, he'll receive a buyout which will make him a free agent.
Another attempt
It may be at the second time of asking but the Rockets will finally land their man after they attempted to acquire him last summer in a trade with the New York Knicks.
But the two teams were unable to come to an agreement on a deal and it was the Thunder who managed to capture him instead.
However, after the veteran had a difficult season with OKC, they agreed to part ways and get his huge $28.9 million contract off their books.
The 34-year-old will receive this entire salary from the Hawks and is then likely to sign a minimum deal with Houston.
Anthony will hope to have more success playing alongside James Harden and close friend Chris Paul than he did with Russell Westbrook and Paul George last year.
He struggled as a third option and posted a career-low 16.1 points as a result.
Melo may have had an underwhelming campaign but his potential arrival in H-Town is being met with excitement within the team.
Speaking about the possibility of teaming up with the small forward, Harden believes it would be a great pick up for the franchise.
"It would be a great acquisition for us," said Harden, per the Houston Chronicle.
"Melo's a proven vet. He just wants to win at this point, so it would be great for him to be on our team.
"The current roster we have now, we've got good guys back and we keep making forward progress."
Filling a spot
The 10-time All-Star will be able to plug a gap on the team immediately after they lost both Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute in free agency.
In terms of additions, the Rockets have signed point guard Michael Carter-Williams and wing James Ennis.
"That's a part of the business but like we do every single year, we've got to find a way," Harden said.
"Whatever guys we sign, be ready to come in and play good minutes and we'll take it from there.
"I have all the confidence in the front office and the coaching staff and the players that we'll have on the roster."
With the Golden State Warriors adding DeMarcus Cousins, Houston's task to win a championship next year is even harder but they'll hope that Carmelo's experience can play a huge role.
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