Rockets Trade Rumors: Houston 'Intent' on Moving or Buying Out Ryan Anderson

The Houston Rockets are reportedly hoping to escape from the remaining two years and $41.7 million on Ryan Anderson's contract.  

Kelly Iko of Rockets Wire reported Monday that the Rockets are "intent on moving Anderson in a trade." If general manager Daryl Morey can't find a taker for the 30-year-old, he will reportedly pursue buyout options.

Anderson started 50 of his 66 games during the 2017-18 regular season, but he averaged only 9.3 points per game, his lowest mark since his 2009-10 season with the Orlando Magic. 

Although Anderson was limited by an ankle injury down the stretch of the regular season, he was mostly healthy in the playoffs while playing a minor role in the team's run to the Western Conference Finals.

He averaged only 1.7 points per game in 11 contests, and he didn't score a single point in the seven-game series against the Golden State Warriors. He never came off the bench in two of the Rockets' wins that series, which ended with the team losing in seven games to the eventual champions.

Houston instead primarily relied on PJ Tucker and Trevor Ariza at the forward spots, while Luc Mbah a Moute and Gerald Green played valuable minutes off the bench. 

Tucker is the only one of those four still under contract for next season, which creates uncertainty with Houston's forward rotation. Still, that may not be enough to help Anderson's case with the front office.

The 6'10" big man still has value as an offensive mismatch who has made 38.2 percent of his three-point shots in his career. He has made at least 100 threes in seven of the last eight years, with the lone exception being when injuries limited him to only 22 games in 2013-14.

His defensive limitations and hefty contract may make him difficult for Houston to move this summer, though.