The Houston Rockets have traded Ryan Anderson and De’Anthony Melton to the Phoenix Suns for Marquese Chriss and Brandon Knight, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The Rockets have been aggressively trying to move Anderson all summer. The veteran forward is due to make more than $20 million this upcoming season and just more than $21 million in 2019-20.
Houston has traded Ryan Anderson and De'Anthony Melton to Phoenix for Marquese Chriss and Brandon Knight, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 31, 2018
Anderson played in 66 games this past season for Houston and averaged 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from three. The 30-year-old barely got off the bench in the playoffs, scoring just 1.7 points per game.
Knight, who missed the entire 2017-18 season after tearing his left ACL in the summer of 2017, is cleared to play this season. Knight appeared in 54 games in 2016-17 with the Suns and averaged 11.0 points per contest. He has career averages of 15.2 points per game and will give the Rockets depth in the backcourt.
Brandon Knight is owed $14,631,250 in 2018-19 and $15,643,750 in 2019-20. #Rockets
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) August 31, 2018
Chriss is a 21-year-old athletic big man and running the pick-and-roll with MVP James Harden and Chris Paul could untap his potential. The eighth overall pick in the 2016 draft has career averages of 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds.
The Rockets, who added Carmelo Anthony this offseason, are expected to compete with the Golden State Warriors for the top spot in the Western Conference. This move bolsters their bench.
