Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors: Knicks Star Willing to Waive Kicker to Aid Rockets

In an effort to enhance the chances of a trade from the New York Knicks to the Houston Rockets, Carmelo Anthony is reportedly willing to waive the trade kicker in his contract.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports), waiving the trade kicker would cost Melo $8,125,785, but it would also make it easier to match up salaries in a potential deal.

The trade kicker gives Melo a 15 percent pay raise in the event of a deal, but waiving it would mean Houston would only have to send $21,095,008 in salary to the Knicks in order to make the trade work, per Rohrbach.

Anthony has a no-trade clause, but Wojnarowski reported that he is willing to waive it for either the Rockets or the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Portland Trail Blazers guards CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard have publicly campaigned for Melo to join them as well.

McCollum told Joe Freeman of the Oregonian that he believes Anthony is interested, while Lillard told Rip City Radio's Jay Allen that Melo to the Blazers is possible.

Although there has been no public indication from Melo that Portland is a place of interest, Wojnarowski's report suggests he is looking to accelerate his exit from the Big Apple.

The Rockets boast 2016-17 MVP finalist James Harden and newly acquired point guard Chris Paul, who is known to be a close friend of Anthony's.

If Houston can add Melo to the mix, it will land a 10-time All-Star who is coming off a season that saw him average 22.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

Perhaps that still wouldn't be enough to knock off the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference, but it would give the Rockets a "Big Three," which seems a prerequisite to contending in the current NBA landscape.