The trade deadline is still over a week away, but the Rockets appear to be out of the runing for Carmelo Anthony, the biggest prize available in the trade market this year. According to Alan Hahn of Newsday, the Knicks are the last team left that have a legitimate shot at getting Carmelo at this point. SB Nation runs down the rest of the contenders that Hahn ruled out.
So if not the Knicks, then who? Hahn reports that the Nets remain out of the picture after announcing as much last month, and the Rockets, who were considering making a move around Yao Ming's expiring contract, are also out because Anthony does not want to sign an extension there. The Lakers, who were rumored to have offered Andrew Bynum for Anthony, are out too, though truthfully, they were never really in. That leaves one darkhorse, according to Hahn.
Hahn also lists the Mavericks as the remaining Dark Horse candidate, but I'm not sure that they would be willing to trade for Carmelo Anthony if it is just a half season rental. The Rockets had shown interest in Carmelo for much of the season, but there was no guarantee that he would be willing to sign an extension in Houston. The Rockets can now focus on finding some other deals, presumably minor ones, that can tweak the roster as opposed to giving it an entire overhaul.