NBA Trade Rumors 2014: Rockets Want Carmelo Anthony for Jeremy Lin & Omer Asik [Rumors]

As Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks enters free agency, a lot of teams have been very interested, particularly the Houston Rockets. The small forward has the option to terminate his contract early and enter the free agent market on July 1.

The Rockets are allegedly offering Jeremy Lin, Omer Ask plus Terrence Jones or a first round draft pick in exchange for Anthony, noted a report by HNGN.

According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insider, Houston wants Anthony so bad that they "would trade almost anything not named Dwight Howard and James Harden to get at Anthony and they would go all in on a contract too."

Other teams are also very interested in acquiring Anthony such as the Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks, writes FanSided. The Knicks, however, are still deemed the most likely team to re-sign the All-Star. Charlotte has shown interest but is still uncertain on what to offer. The Lakers are not willing to go all out financially, compared to Houston and Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki said that he is willing to lower his salary to provide the team with the needed cap space to possibly sign a player like Anthony, equaling the $20 to $22.5 million that the Knicks can easily afford.

The idea of bringing in Anthony to join Howard and Harden of the Houston Rockets would obviously create a formidable big three to compete with the likes of the Miami Heat, Indiana Packers and OKC Thunder, according to Rant Sports. Jeremy Lin has long anticipated the possibility of being traded off again, although he earlier stated that he prefers to improve his game as a sixth man and not dwell on future trades.

The future deal also relies largely on how Anthony prefers to play in the upcoming season. In the 2013-2014 regular season, he averaged 27.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He has been voicing out that he needs key players that will support his role. Hopefully, he will find the right team members in one of the interested teams.