Rockets looking for trade partner for Carmelo Anthony to complete deal with Kenneth Faried

Late Friday night, the Houston Rockets made waves with the agreement to sign big man Kenneth Faried. Faried, 29, is expected to join the Rockets following a buyout agreement with the Brooklyn Nets. Known as the “Manimal” during his days with the Denver Nuggets, Faried’s arrival in Houston could not come at a better time for the Rockets.

After news broke that Clint Capela will miss six weeks due to surgery on his injured thumb, Faried will immediately get playing time as a replacement for the Rockets’ wounded star.

Throughout his eight-year NBA career, Faried established himself as one of the hardest working big men in the league due to his relentless ability to rebound the basketball and high energy he displays while on the court.

Although exciting to think what could become of James Harden and Faried, there is one major move the Rockets must make before the signing can become official. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets must find a trade partner for Carmelo Anthony before Monday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline, to clear a roster spot for their newly acquired forward.

The Rockets are aggressively working to find a trade for the exiled Carmelo Anthony before Monday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline to clear a roster spot for Faried, league sources said. The Rockets will need to trade a player to a team with an open roster spot, or waive a player, before signing Faried.

Wojnarowski went on to report that the Rockets could hold off on the signing to create an open roster spot, but Houston is desperate to get him into the team’s weakened frontcourt before Monday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. They could also release James Nunnally.

Although a trade partner for Anthony once looked nearly impossible, a suitor for the 10-time all-star is likely to happen within the next coming days. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Anthony has multiple options available to return to the court this season.

While it is still unclear what teams have expressed interest in the aging star, the Los Angeles Lakers have seemed like a likely destination for Melo to continue his career.

As for the Manimal, similar to Anthony’s stint in Houston, the Nets acquired Faried this summer, but he struggled to find his role with the team’s core. He appeared in 12 games for the Nets this season and averaged 5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

On his career, Faried averages 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds on 54-percent shooting, and while he won’t bring the same defense as Capela, he should at the very least be a worthy lob partner for James Harden.