Rockets To Part Ways With Carmelo Anthony

The Rockets are officially moving on from veteran forward Carmelo Anthony, the team announced in a press release on Thursday.

Despite parting ways with Anthony, there are no immediate plans for him to be placed on waivers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Houston will allow him to remain on the roster, giving his reps the chance to explore possible teams for the 12-time NBA All-Star to join.

“After much internal discussion, the Rockets will be parting ways with Carmelo Anthony and we are working toward a resolution,” general manager Daryl Morey said. “Carmelo had a tremendous approach during his time with the Rockets and accepted every role head coach Mike D’Antoni gave him. The fit we envisioned when Carmelo chose to sign with the Rockets has not materialized, therefore we thought it was best to move on as any other outcome would have been unfair to him.”

Anthony joined the Rockets with hopes of providing frontcourt depth on a contending roster, but his role gradually changed after the first two weeks of the season. That proposed role didn’t fit in the eyes of Anthony, who would’ve surrendered significant minutes on the team.

“It wasn’t fair for him as a Hall of Fame player to play in a role that wasn’t good for him,” head coach Mike D’Antoni said, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). “It wasn’t a fit.”

Teams like the Lakers, Pelicans and Trail Blazers could be interested in Carmelo, according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. A separate report from Marc Spears of The Undefeated suggests the 76ers and Heat may also have interest, but that the Lakers are done making signings in the short term.

Anthony, 34, is in his 16th NBA season. He appeared in just 10 games with the Rockets after signing a free-agent deal to join the team in the summer, averaging 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and a career-low 29.4 minutes per contest.

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