Yesterday on The Usual Suspects, the guys were discussing Carmelo Anthony and possible scenarios in which he would end up in a Rockets uniform. The easiest and seemingly most effective method would be for both the Knicks and Melo’s camp to negotiate a buyout. This would allow him to become a free agent and sign a deal with one of his two preferred destinations of Houston or Cleveland. Another option would be to try and trade for him straight up. The problem is, New York might want Houston to include Clint Capela and Eric Gordon in a deal which would send Carmelo the other way. This poses the important question which Rockets fans should ask themselves.

How much is too much?

Yes, Carmelo is an offensive juggernaut and would make Houston even that much more dangerous/dynamic. But at some point, you have to look at it from the perspective of what the Rockets would lose, not just the positives. Clint Capela just turned 23. This was his first year as the starting center, and he still missed about 25 games to injury. 12 and 8 aren’t eye-popping numbers but his upside is still high and he only projects to get better with recent addition Chris Paul. We’ve all seen the progression of Deandre Jordan through the years into what he’s become today. CP3 is a big part of that growth, and he will surely pass that along to Clint. The other part of the theoretical trade, Eric Gordon, is someone the Rockets do not want to give up. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year

The other part of the theoretical trade, Eric Gordon, is someone the Rockets do not want to give up. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year is coming off a tremendous season, both from an improved shooting and health perspective. He was able to take some of the load off of Harden whenever he sat, and while they shared the floor together. At this point in free agency, you lose someone like Gordon, is there someone on the market who can fill that role as effectively as he can? Houston is actually over the cap and realistically can only acquire additional talent by trades or minimum deals.

If the Rockets can get Carmelo by only sacrificing Ryan Anderson and finding a third team, that would be much more pleasing to fans’ ears than having to gut our depth even more and losing two key cogs on the roster.

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You can listen to the segment below. Be sure to catch The Usual Suspects with Joel Blank and Barry Laminack weekdays from 1-4 on ESPN 97.5