Carmelo Anthony is finally a member of the Houston Rockets. The team's general manager, Daryl Morey, confirmed the signing on Monday afternoon, ending months-long speculation that Anthony would wind up on the Rockets this offseason.
Welcome to the @HoustonRockets @carmeloanthony - easy to find highlights for him! https://t.co/ZdjTc0xFmY
— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) August 13, 2018
After opting in to the final year of his $27.9 million contract, Anthony was traded from the Thunder to the Hawks, who immediately waived him, clearing the way for Anthony to become an unrestricted free agent. There had been multiple reports this summer that the Rockets were the frontrunners to sign Anthony, so this official confirmation is not a surprise.
Houston's wing depth took a big blow this offseason when Trevor Ariza signed with the Phoenix Suns and Luc Mbah a Moute signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. Anthony will be tasked with filling that role, though he has been a different type of player throughout his 15-year NBA career.
It will be interesting to see how Anthony plays with the Rockets next season. He should get plenty of wide open looks thanks to the driving and passing ability of Chris Paul and James Harden. And if he's willing to simply be a spot-up shooter, perhaps he could help them.
However, there's legitimate reason to believe that won't be the case. We didn't see him change his style of play much with the Thunder last season, and he turned in the worst campaign of his career, averaging 16.2 points on 40.4 percent shooting from the field. And that doesn't even take into account his defensive liabilities.
If the Rockets were simply adding Anthony to bolster their depth, that would be one thing. But they've lost Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute this summer, and replaced those two with Michael Carter-Williams, James Ennis and Anthony. It's hard to see how the Rockets won't be a little worse next season.