Report: Carmelo Anthony Talked Rockets, Teaming with LeBron Before Thunder Trade

Before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in September, Carmelo Anthony was reportedly thinking of a scenario that would eventually end up with himself, Chris Paul and LeBron James playing for the Houston Rockets. 

Per ESPN's Ian Begley, Anthony spent at least some portion of the offseason talking to his friends about playing alongside Paul in Houston this season and "eventually" James would join the group to become the Western Conference power that would take down the Golden State Warriors. 

"He went as far as to detail individual matchups between that hypothetical Rockets team and the Warriors," Begley wrote, "surmising that he and the Rockets could take out the Warriors."

Anthony was heavily linked to the Rockets during the summer when the New York Knicks were exploring trade possibilities for the 10-time All-Star.

He said in an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio shortly after being acquired by the Thunder that a deal was done with the Rockets but wound up falling through. 

"It fell through, then we had to really start paying attention and thinking about other options," Anthony said.

Paul was traded to the Rockets in June. Sam Amick of USA Today reported earlier this month Houston could be a landing spot for James when he becomes a free agent after this season. 

Anthony can also become a free agent this summer if he opts out of the final year of his contract. There's still a chance that trio could end up in Houston together. The Rockets own the NBA's best record at 25-5, so they don't appear to be in need of much help right now. 

The Thunder have struggled with Anthony, Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Their 16-15 record is tied for fifth in the Western Conference.