Carmelo Anthony, Houston Rockets Agreement Finally Reached: Reports

Carmelo Anthony has finally reached an agreement to join the Houston Rockets as he enters his 16th professional season.

Anthony has been rumored for a move to last season's No. 1 Western Conference seed for a while now, but according to league sources close to Yahoo and ESPN, the 34-year-old reached a verbal agreement Tuesday.

As per Yahoo's Shams Charania, Anthony cleared free agency waivers last week and informed the Houston franchise of his decision to sign upon his return from the NBA Africa game which took place Saturday.

Anthony joined the Oklahoma City Thunder last season but experienced an underwhelming season as he was not a right fit with Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The 10-time All-Star averaged a career-low 32.1 minutes per game which produced 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. The Thunder would also suffer a disappointing first round exit at the hands of the Utah Jazz in the playoffs.

He opted in to the final year of his five-year maximum contract worth $27.9 million, but as George re-signed with the Thunder, Anthony was then traded to the Atlanta Hawks who would proceed to waive him. The Thunder, meanwhile, acquired Dennis Schroder from the Hawks as part of the deal that will see them save a lot of luxury tax.

Free to join any team of his choosing, the Rockets were the frontrunners with the likes of James Harden and Chris Paul both campaigning for his arrival.

"It would be a great acquisition for us," Harden said last month. "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."

With Houston also losing Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, they prioritized the signing of Anthony and now have their man. While many are confused as to what role Anthony will play, Harden is right in saying the former New York Knicks star just wants to win at this point which could help the franchise out.

The Rockets were of course, one win away from defeating the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals and were notably without Paul for the last two games of the series last season.

Things may have been a different story had Paul played and Anthony, who has never played in the NBA Finals, will now feature for a team capable of challenging for a championship where he could potentially earn his first ring.

Despite the arrival of LeBron James to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Rockets are still seen as the biggest threat to the Warriors. They are also expected to have a win total of 54.5 games in the regular season which would see them finish second in the Western Conference.

But with Harden and Paul likely to remain focal points, Anthony is expected to have a spot-up shooter role.