Carmelo Anthony: Could Houston Rockets Steal 'Melo Away From New Jersey Nets?

In the most recent addition to the saga that surrounds a possible Carmelo Anthony trade, the Houston Rockets have thrown their name into the ring as a possible destination for the Denver Nuggets forward.

Carmelo Anthony has been linked to the New Jersey Nets since before the season even started and it seemed as if Anthony going to either New Jersey or New York was pretty much a done deal.

But as talks between New Jersey and Denver have stalled yet again, this time over the inclusion of Al Harrington, is it possible that Houston could swoop in and trade for Anthony before New Jersey?

The biggest reason Denver wants to include Al "Mr. Gets Buckets" Harrington in the Carmelo mega-deal is to get rid of his contract, which equals to about $33 million over the next five years.

Now Houston doesn't have nearly as much to offer Denver in the form of young talent, but they have more than enough expiring contracts to offer delicious salary relief to Denver.

New Jersey has been said to have offered up Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, Anthony Morrow, Quinten Ross, Ben Uzoh and Stephen Graham to the Nuggets, along with a few other players to Detroit, to make the deal work financially.

What the Rockets can do to lure Denver into talks for Carmelo Anthony would be to offer up the expiring contract of Yao Ming, which is worth over $17 million of cap relief, along with Shane Battier's and Jared Jeffries' expiring contracts, which equal up to another $13.5 million.

In terms of young players, Houston could offer up Kevin Martin or Aaron Brooks (probably not both) to throw into the deal and get a third team involved, like Detroit, which has been very willing with the New Jersey-Denver trade, or Cleveland, which would trade the water boy at this point.

There is also the fact that they have the New York Knicks' 2012 draft pick as well, which they would probably be willing to part with.

The biggest caveat in the Rockets trading for Carmelo would have to be his willingness to sign an extension to stay in Houston, which seems low.

He has expressed that he wants to play in New York or for a team that can contend for a title, and it isn't very clear whether Houston would be considered a contender with Anthony.

If he does think that he would like to play in Houston for the next few years, however, then this trade is extremely possible, as Denver is growing increasingly frustrated with New Jersey during this trade process.

The Nuggets have even accused New Jersey of intentionally leaking every step of the trade to the press in order to pressure the young Denver front office into finalizing the trade.

If Houston does become a desirable destination for Anthony, then look out, because the next few weeks could get extremely interesting.