Report: Harden recruited Melo during trip to Paris

With multiple reports circulating that Carmelo Anthony could imminently be on his way to the Houston Rockets, word comes that James Harden was apparently on a recruiting mission in Paris last month.

Harden attended Paris Fashion Week with Anthony in late June, and began trying to convince him to waive his no-trade clause for Houston, according to the New York Daily News' Frank Isola and Stefan Bondy. Soon after, Anthony notified the Knicks he would be amenable to a trade to the Rockets - along with the Cleveland Cavaliers - according to the report.

News broke that Chris Paul had been traded to the Rockets from the Los Angeles Clippers on June 28, days after Fashion Week ended. Paul and Anthony are close friends.

Anthony holds considerable leverage over the Knicks, thanks to the no-trade clause he negotiated with former team president Phil Jackson in 2014. Interestingly, Anthony was also courted as a free agent by the Rockets that summer.

Given Houston's cap constraints, any trade for Anthony would need to include a third or fourth team.