Sources: Rockets agree to deal Carmelo to Bulls

1:02 pm | January 21, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:

5:59 PM ET

Adrian WojnarowskiESPN

The Houston Rockets have agreed to trade Carmelo Anthony and cash to the Chicago Bulls, league sources told ESPN.

However, Anthony won’t play a game for the Bulls, a source said. He will be released and become a free agent if he clears waivers.

Houston was aggressively working to find a trade for the exiled Anthony before Monday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline to clear a roster spot for Kenneth Faried, who recently agreed to a contract buyout with the Brooklyn Nets.

But league sources said the NBA office will not execute the trade on Monday because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. So to clear the way for Faried to sign and play Monday night in Philadelphia, Houston had to waive James Nunnally a few days early from his 10-day contract.

Although Anthony will not suit up for Chicago, it is possible that the franchise could hold off on waiving him until the Feb. 7 trade deadline, league sources tell ESPN. The Bulls could include him in a one-for-one trade but can’t aggregate his contract in another deal.

For Anthony, who at 34 still wants to find a place to contribute in the NBA, his best bet to find his next team is to wait until the deadline as teams make trades and open roster spots.

The Lakers maintain an interest in Anthony but do not want to waive a guaranteed player to create a roster spot for him, league sources tell ESPN. But Anthony could still be a target for Los Angeles should a roster spot eventually open.