Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey finally found a trade partner to take Ryan Anderson, and the two years, $41 million left on his contract. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Houston agreed to a deal with Phoenix last night that will send Anderson and De'Anthony Melton to the Suns in exchange for Marquese Chriss and Brandon Knight.
Anderson had signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Rockets as a free agent in 2016, following four seasons in New Orleans where he averaged 16.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per night. His numbers have steadily declined since signing with Houston, but Wojnarowski reports the Suns are moving forward with the expectation that he'll start at power forward alongside this year's #1 overall pick, center DeAndre Ayton. Phoenix also acquired shooting guard De'Anthony Melton, a shooting guard out of USC, who the Rockets selected 46th overall in the June draft.
With the departure of veteran point guard Brandon Knight, the Suns will "continue pursuing a trade for a starting-level point guard" before the start of the regular season, according to Woj.
Marquese Chriss, the eighth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, has not lived up to the hype since entering the league - averaging just 8.5 points and under five rebounds per game in his first two seasons. The 6'10, 21-year old will now join a Rockets front court that includes Clint Capela, PJ Tucker, Carmelo Anthony and Nene.
The Rockets will host the New Orleans Pelicans in their first game of the 2018-19 season on October 17. The Suns open with a home game against the Dallas Mavericks on the same night.
