Based on the latest NBA rumors, it's a two-team race for Carmelo Anthony's services between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers. At the moment, Houston's Chris Paul is trying to convince his organization that they need the former member of the Nuggets, Knicks, and Thunder. However, Anthony also appears interested in joining his other pal, LeBron James, over in Los Angeles.

Anthony, Thunder parting ways

The news arrived via ESPN just a few days ago, as Adrian Wojnarowski and Royce Young indicated that Carmelo Anthony and the OKC Thunder were working out a way for his release.

Anthony was an offseason acquisition for the Thunder before the 2017-18 NBA season. While it made for an intriguing Big Three experiment in Oklahoma City, Melo didn't really work out too well with Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

With that news of a release from the Thunder came the NBA rumors about other teams as potential landing spots for Carmelo Anthony. Those teams include the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, and Houston Rockets. The three teams each feature one of Carmelo's good friends, as Dwyane Wade plays in Miami, LeBron recently joined the Lakers, and Chris Paul is with the Rockets. It adds a new wrinkle to the Kemba Walker trade rumors as well.

Chris Paul lobbying for Melo

It now seems that CP3 is trying to urge his Houston Rockets to make a move and bring Melo on board.

A tweet from Yahoo Sports' Jordan Schultz gave some of the latest insights on the potential for Anthony's next destination during his NBA All-Star career.

It's mentioned in that tweet that Melo's total three-pointers last season were at a career-high.

This is due to the fact he was playing in a much different system than ever before, as the Oklahoma City Thunder also featured two other All-Stars that teams needed to focus on. That gives a strong reason for Paul and the Houston Rockets to consider Melo.

The Rockets recently lost Trevor Ariza in free agency to the Phoenix Suns.

Melo could help fill that void left by Ariza and would continue to hit threes as teams focused on Paul and NBA MVP James Harden. As mentioned Sunday night (July 8) by ESPN's Dave McMenamin, Carmelo's manager sat with Chris Paul, head coach Mike D'Antoni, and others from the Houston staff to discuss the situation. That could bode well for CP3's lobbying, but there's still another strong suitor out there.

Lakers also a strong possibility

Now that LeBron James has joined the Los Angeles Lakers, it could give Carmelo Anthony the opportunity to team up with his longtime friend. The two entered the league in the same NBA draft class, along with Dwyane Wade. However, Melo is the only one from the trio who has yet to achieve any NBA titles.

It's mentioned that Carmelo owns a home in Los Angeles. The 10-time NBA All-Star has also been known to have some savvy in terms of his investments in different companies or ventures. That could make him joining LeBron out in an opportunity-rich area like California an even stronger possibility. With that said, the Houston Rockets came the closest to knocking off Golden State last postseason. Carmelo needs to strongly consider the team's potential to get to the 2019 NBA Finals and win it all if he wants to add an NBA ring to his career resume.
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