Teams that could trade for Carmelo Anthony

Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

We have had rumor after rumor about different players changing teams and this star wanting to be traded but the one star that most expected to get traded has gotten very little traction since the Finals finished. Thats right I am talking about Carmelo Anthony. I think most people would have pegged him the obvious candidate to get traded after Phil Jackson the GM or President of the Knicks basically said they don't want him anymore. Here are a few teams I believe that would make sense for a Melo trade.

Celtics/Cavs:

This one is obvious both teams have been linked to Melo for the last 6 months. Nothing has happened. Personally I believe that the Celtics will not make any offer for Melo based on fit and worry about chemistry. He does provide them with a go-to scorer in pivotal moments in the playoffs but his lack of versatility on offense and his mediocre defensive effort is too much of an issue.

The Cavs on the other hand feel like the best bet to trade for Melo. Melo and LeBron are great friends and have always wanted to play together. A swap for Love makes sense as Melo is a better scorer and gives them a little more speed on the perimeter. Its not a great fit but I could see a scenario where the Cavs strike-out on Butler and George and settle on Melo just to change things up.

OKC Thunder:

The Thunder need to get Westbrook some help. He has accounted for all the offense for the Thunder. Adding Melo would give them a bonafide #2 and show to Westbrook that they are all in. Last year the Thunder were a very good defensive team but struggled to space the floor and struggled to run offense whenever Westbrook went to the bench. By sacrificing some defense, the Thunder offense should be infinitely better with Melo as he can carry the load with Westbrook on the bench and provide someone that can keep the defense honest, basically not letting them pack the paint against Westbrook.

Portland Trail Blazers:

This is another team that has spend lots of money but have very little to show for it. They are a weak team on the wings and really struggled to get easy baskets as both McCollum and Lilliard beat you from the perimeter. This gives them a strong option in the half-court. Plus as a bonus Melo would be a free agent at the end of the summer, so they could just let him walk. A swap for Melo could also get them out of a bad contract like Leonard, Turner or Crabbe, almost a way to reset or create some cap-space to use in 2 years.

LA Clippers:

Another obvious choice as they have been linked to Melo for a while now. It would be tougher as a few of the pieces are free agents like Reddick but it's still possible. I am not sure what the Clippers plan is as they have shopped DeAndre Jordan and both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are free agents. So this is a long-shot even though the fit makes sense.

Washington Wizards/Toronto Raptors:

These are the 2 best teams that make the best sense for a Melo trade. Both are part of the four elite teams in the East and are a piece like Melo from being a true contender. The Raptors struggle in the scoring department, Melo gives them a huge upgrade on the wings as Tucker and Carroll have not panned out. For the Wizards this gives them a legit third-piece along-side John Wall and Bradley Beal. Both teams become legit contenders if they are able to land Melo without giving up a significant piece in return.

Overall you can see there will be options for a Melo trade but the hold-up will be the no-trade clause, Melo needs to wave that for the Knicks to trade him. That will be the first hurdle.