Rockets finally trade Ryan Anderson in package deal to Suns

Throughout much of the offseason, the Houston Rockets have been working on finding a feasible deal to move veteran forward Ryan Anderson to another team.

It appears that the Rockets have finally worked out a trade as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN is reporting that Anderson will be sent to the Phoenix Suns along with De’Anthony Melton in exchange for Marquese Chriss and Brandon Knight.

The Houston Rockets traded first Ryan Anderson and guard De’Anthony Melton to the Phoenix Suns for forward Marquese Chriss and guard Brandon Knight, league sources told ESPN.

Anderson had steadily seen his role with the Rockets decrease as the season wore on as his struggles defensively became hard to play on the floor in a significant role. The 30-year-old still has two years left on his four-year, $80 million deal that has roughly $42 million left on his contract. Anderson has proven over his career that he can provide a scoring punch while stretching the floor beyond the arc with his shooting ability.

Meanwhile, rookie point guard De’Anthony Melton was selected by Houston with the 46th overall pick in this year’s draft. He will now add to the Suns’ backcourt where he could etch out a significant role in his first campaign in the league.

The Rockets are acquiring a versatile big man in Chriss, who has yet to truly meet his potential. He has shown flashes of promise behind his athletic ability and strong rebounding. Chris could become a key asset off the bench that could provide some frontcourt stability. Knight is a proven point guard that should be a steady factor in the backcourt off the bench alongside former Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon.