Houston Rockets Trade Rumors: Paul George Or Carmelo Anthony Joining Chris Paul, James Harden?

After watching teams like the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors stockpile superstars over the last few years, the Houston Rockets have decided to get in on the fun. The team is in the process of acquiring Chris Paul in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, and they might not be done there.

In addition to pairing an elite point guard with James Harden, Houston is looking to get an All-Star forward. Paul George and Carmelo Anthony have dominated the trade rumors during the 2017 NBA offseason, and the Rockets have a chance to land one of them at the start of free agency.

READ: Could Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan Be Gone From Clippers After Chris Paul Trade

Trading for another superstar will be much easier said than done for Houston. It’s hard enough to believe that they are about to get Paul, and the team is still making minor moves in order to make that deal work under the salary cap restrictions.

The Rockets have very little in the way of assets. They’ve already given up next year’s first-round pick, and a second trade would likely have to include Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza and maybe Ryan Anderson. The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks are looking to acquire young players and draft picks, so the Rockets would need to get a third team involved in any deal.

But Houston general manager Daryl Morey is hoping to take advantage of teams that are being forced to trade their best players for less than what they’re worth, and it could turn the Rockets into a title contender.

It’s exactly what Morey was able to do in 2012 when they acquired Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and a few draft picks. Oklahoma City was unwilling to pay Harden a max contract the following year when he was set to hit free agency because they were already paying big money to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. With the Thunder afraid of losing Harden for nothing in the offseason, the Rockets swooped in and acquired the NBA’s next superstar.

The Pacers had their hands forced a week ago when George’s agent informed the team that the forward would not return when he becomes a free agent in 2018. With no chance to win a championship this year, the Pacers will almost certainly deal George at some point this summer.

Because George has just one year left on his contract with eyes on the Los Angeles Lakers next year, Houston doesn’t have a ton of competition in trying to make a trade. The Boston Celtics have the most assets to give Indiana, but they are hoping to wait until July 1 so they can also sign a major free agent because of salary cap restrictions, according to The Vertical. The Cleveland Cavaliers believe they can convince George to re-sign with the team, but they’ve yet to put together a trade that the Pacers have found suitable.

The Lakers might jump in and decide letting George go to a potential winner is a risk they cannot take. For now, though, L.A. seems content to hold onto their top young players and draft picks as they wait for 2018 to make their push at acquiring superstars.

READ: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard Among 2018 NBA MVP Favorites

It won’t take nearly as much to acquire Anthony, who is no longer a top-10 player and isn’t commanding nearly the same amount of interest as George. The biggest question is whether or not he’d waive his no-trade clause and join the Rockets. New York doesn’t want to buy out Anthony, and he reportedly doesn’t want to leave the Big Apple.

The addition of Paul to the Rockets might make them the second-best team in the Western Conference, but they still aren’t good enough to compete with Durant, Stephen Curry and the Warriors. Acquiring George, or possibly Anthony, however, puts Houston a step closer to being a legitimate championship contender.

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