NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on the Market's Marquee Free Agents

Carmelo Anthony might be the first domino to fall in the NBA this summer. Once he chooses a new—or possibly old—team, it could set off a series of events that radically alters the offseason.

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, the Los Angeles Lakers had a meeting with Melo that went very well:

ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne reported that the Lakers would be more than willing to offer Anthony the fattest contract allowable under the collective bargaining agreement:

Los Angeles has so many holes in its roster that the only chance of being competitive in 2014 hinges on signing somebody like Anthony.

Signing Melo this offseason would be like a get-out-of-jail-free card.

While L.A. may be confident that it made a good impression on Anthony, the growing feeling is that he'll remain with the New York Knicks, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein:

If Anthony does sign with the Knicks, that would in turn affect the Lakers' handling of Pau Gasol, per NBA.com's David Aldridge:

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Indirectly, Anthony’s decision impacts another significant free agent — Pau Gasol, who was scheduled to meet with Riley in Los Angeles. The Lakers’ hopes of keeping Gasol are centered on first getting Anthony, who would then, hopefully, entice Gasol to stay in L.A. rather than follow Riley back to South Beach, or to San Antonio or Oklahoma City, both of which harbor strong and real hopes they can get Gasol to take a huge pay cut to play for a contender.

Oklahoma City, according to a source, hopes that a three-year deal with its mid-level exception can do the trick with Gasol, even as it understands his agent, Arn Tellem, will surely be able to shake out bigger offers elsewhere.

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If the Lakers do lose out in the Anthony sweepstakes, keeping Gasol around would seem like a quizzical move. Los Angeles isn't built to win now without another established star, so why commit money to a 33-year-old big man?

Having Gasol go to Miami or Oklahoma City would arguably be the best move for the franchise.

The Knicks are in the same boat, to a certain extent, in that their '14 hopes rest solely on Melo.

According to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard, the Knicks met with Anthony in Los Angeles on Thursday:

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The Knicks have always told Anthony that they would give him the max contract and reiterated that in their Thursday meeting, although the offer was verbal, not formal, a source said.

New York can offer Anthony the most money of any of his suitors, a maximum contract worth $129 million over five seasons. Other suitors can offer Anthony a max contract worth $96 million over four years.

Anthony did not give the Knicks an answer or a timetable on his decision Thursday night, a source said. He will take the long weekend to think things through, the source said.

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That extra year makes New York much more enticing. Melo would have more career security and more money in his pocket.

Also working in the Knicks' favor is the presence of Phil Jackson and the fact that he's at least semi-interested in team-building. Trading into the second round of the draft was a definite sign that things are different for the Knicks this time around.

One of the teams that's really gone all-in on Anthony is the Houston Rockets. They had Carmelo in for a visit on Wednesday, and much like the Lakers, they walked away pleased with their chances of locking up the seven-time All-Star to a max deal.

Dwight Howard, who's no stranger to a high-profile free-agent courtship, was at the meeting, per Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston:

The Rockets are covering all their bases. Stein reported that in the the event that Anthony signs elsewhere, their attention will shift to Chris Bosh:

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Sources told ESPN.com on Thursday night that the Rockets—while still holding out hope that Anthony will choose them after hosting him Wednesday in Houston—have already let Bosh know how interested they are in bringing the Dallas native back to Texas.

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Most league observers continue to believe that Heat president Pat Riley ultimately will convince all three Heat stars to re-up by next week, even if Bosh and Wade are forced to take pay cuts.

But sources say the Rockets are determined to test Bosh's resolve in the event Anthony elects to return to the New York Knicks or chooses one of his other three primary suitors this week: the Chicago Bulls, the Dallas Mavericks or the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Depending on what Houston decides to do with Chandler Parsons, adding a bigger guy who can stretch the floor may become a necessity.

Since signing with the Miami Heat, Bosh has been undervalued. His counting stats have decreased since he's ceded more of the ball to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. But his player efficiency rating has remained around the 18.0-20.0 range, while his true-shooting percentage has nearly cracked .600.

Bosh isn't the singular talent that Anthony is, but the Rockets don't need a player like Melo in order to become a title contender. Also, Bosh is used to being third in the hierarchy, so he'd have no problems letting Howard and James Harden run the show.

The Heat could be looking at the losses of Bosh, James and Wade this offseason. In order to entice those three players to stay, Miami is turning its focus to Anthony Morrow and Marvin Williams, according to Aldridge.

While those two players won't move the needle too much, they're at least upgrades to what the Heat had last season. With all the money the organization will have to commit to the "Big Three" in the event they stay, the financial realities of the league are such that very little money will be left over to build the team.

Note: All stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.