Rockets can offer more money to Melo than Knicks

Asik trade is not commenced yet and can be changed if needed for a trade with NY, the same way it would be for a Love trade with Minnesota.

 

Even if he can get more by coming to Houston, or going to Chicago, one thing to keep in mind is that extra year he can get from NY. There are a few ways to look at it (some of which were mentioned in the article):

1) Melo goes down with a career ending injury/accident and loses the money he could have had from that last year - advantage 5 year
2) Melo has an injury that drops his output (think Rose), and is only able to get mid level money after his contract expires - advantage 5 year
3a) Melo's contract ends 1 year sooner, meaning he is 1 year younger, and has a better chance to sign one last max 4-5 year contract - advantage 4 year
3b) By the time the 4 year expires, and that 5th year comes around, he will likely be eligible for more money than he would have received from NY for the 5th year due to cap increases and years in the league - advantage 4 year
4) With a 4 year contract comes a team that most likely has a better chance to compete for a championship than NY - advantage 4 year

Of course, the 4 vs 5 year debate can be negated by making that 5th year a player option, or through a sign & trade.

 

The more I read this, the more I see that Melo signing with Chicago makes more sense.

 

It really does. I know it would be nice to have someone who can score in any situation, but offense in Houston has never been the problem...whereas Chicago desperately needs someone they can depend on to get points when they need them.

I would be fine with upgrading both the point and the PF with non-star level players and making sure we have some quality on the bench. IMO that would go further than any one max level player we could get.

Getting the coaches to actually come up with a playbook and some emphasis on defense would also be a pleasant surprise.

 

Not wanting Carmelo when our lineup was Lowry/Martin/Hayes is different than not wanting Carmelo when we have Harden/Howard/Parsons

 

This sounds nice in theory, but there are no non-star level PF available that would help the Rockets (Besides Bosh and Love)

Anyone else at PF would not be much of an upgrade at PF and still probably get near star pay.