NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Carmelo Anthony, Markelle Fultz and More
Carmelo Anthony's representatives worked the phones with NBA front offices on Monday, searching for potential landing spots for the 10-time All Star, according to ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski.
There have been no further discussions with the Houston Rockets on whether Anthony is part of their plans moving forward, which could mean that they plan to waive him barring a last-minute change, league sources said.
The Rockets' willingness to part ways with Anthony, who has only played in 10 games, comes as a surprise to many executives around the league.
Houston's general manager Daryl Morey spoke out against the rumors, but did not say outright that the team wouldn't move on from their embattled forward.
"One of the reasons I'm here, besides it's 10 games in, about, is I think there's just a lot of unfair-like rumors and everything going around about him," Morey told reporters before Houston's 115-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. "He's been great with us. As Coach [Mike D'Antoni] said yesterday, his approach has been great. He's accepted every role Coach has given him—starting, off the bench, whatever it's been.
"We're struggling as a team, and it's my job, it's Coach's job to figure this thing out. But from Guy 1 to Guy 15—and I'll put myself in there; a lot of this is on me right now—we're not playing well. We've just got to figure it out. We're evaluating everything."
Anthony has been listed as "ill" in the two games he's missed since going 1-of-11 in the Rockets' 98-80 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He reportedly did not travel with the team to face the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.
"We've been extremely happy with his approach," Morey added. "Every reason we've brought him here, he's followed. Again, that's why he's here. It's unfair that there's all this speculation on just one player. I understand it, because he's obviously a Hall of Famer, but it's unfair."
OKC's Paul George also thinks it's unfair that everyone is blaming his former teammate.
"The reason [the] Rockets are not succeeding is not because of Melo," George told ESPN's Royce Young. "It has nothing to do with Melo and for that to be the notion or to be the headline is very inaccurate. The fact of the matter is, they're just not playing great basketball right now as a group."
Anthony, who is largely used in a reserve role, is only averaging 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season, down from last year's 16.2 points and 5.8 boards.
If he is waived, his veteran's minimum $2.4 million contract could be claimed off waivers, or he could clear waivers and become a free agent, which means he could sign with any team.
Anthony may have to be patient because teams will be unsure if he can help them and those that think he can have to explore whether he could fit within their current roster.
With the Rockets record at 5-7, there are numerous analysts pointing the finger at Anthony for the team's struggles, despite the fact that they lost defensive stalwarts Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute in the offseason.
Chris Paul, one of Anthony's closest friends, called him a "future Hall of Famer" and feels that he's been a great addition thus far.
"Melo's been great here," Paul said. "That's like a brother to me, know what I mean? I don't know what's being said or what not, but Melo's been great, working hard every day. So we'll see what happens."
Markelle Fultz Parts Ways with Shooting Coach
Markelle Fultz took perhaps his most unorthodox free-throw shot on Monday night against the Miami Heat.
With the Philadelphia 76ers down 46-44 with 6:09 left in the second quarter, Fultz found himself at the free-throw line.
But his ensuing shot almost caused a lane violation as he double-pumped a miss.
Almost immediately, league sources revealed to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype that the former No. 1 overall pick was no longer working with or on speaking terms with NBA player development specialist Drew Hanlen.
There was no word on why the two, who worked together this past summer, parted ways, but Fultz and Hanlen's relationship deteriorated three weeks ago.
Hanlen was thought to be the shot whisperer for Fultz, but he's still displaying the "yips" when taking shots.
In a since-deleted tweet, Hanlen suggested that Fultz is "still not healthy," referring to problems with soreness in his right shoulder.
There are more questions than answers when it comes to Fultz' broken shooting form and Sixers head coach Brett Brown is not comfortable with it.
"No, and so we're gonna get back on track," he told the Philly Inquirer. "His heart is in the right place. All by himself, he pivoted out over the summer and tried to make it better and tweak it, and he's in a place right now where we're gonna try to remind him where his shot was and try to bring that back into probably more a tighter shot, bring his release point down a little bit, bring the ball closer to his body. We have a Team Markelle all around him to help him, and he's gonna be just fine."
This year, Fultz is shooting just 42.2 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from three and 60 percent from the free throw line.
It remains to be seen if he'll improve as the season unfolds.
Minnesota Timberwolves Had Other Offers For Jimmy Butler
The Jimmy Butler era with the Minnesota Timberwolves is over.
The four-time NBA All Star was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers along with Justin Patton on Monday in exchange for Jerryd Bayless, Dario Saric, Robert Covington and a 2022 second-round pick.
Minnesota's president of basketball operations and head coach Tom Thibodeau pulled the trigger on the deal after the team's 121-110 loss to the Sacramento Kings in which Butler finished with only 13 points, but made waves for playing 41 minutes.
But before the trade was finalized, the Wolves were considering offers from the New Orleans Pelicans and the Houston Rockets, according to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania.
New Orleans offered a package centered around Nikola Mirotic and an unprotected first-round pick.
Houston's offer featured Eric Gordon, Nene and two first-round picks, sources said.
It's likely that Thibs passed on the Pelicans and the Rockets' offers because he wanted players that could step in and contribute right away.
Mirotic and Gordon are both playing well in their respective roles, but Covington and Saric have more upside and could be better fits in Minnesota's system.
Covington is definitely the kind of defensive player Thibs covets. The sixth-year forward was named to the NBA All-Defensive first team last season.
"I said from the beginning: You always have to put the organization first," Thibodeau told ESPN.com's Malika Andrews. "So you set the parameters for what you are looking for, and once we felt we got to that point where the offers met some of the things we were looking for, then we said, 'OK, now it's time.'"
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