Potential Carmelo Anthony Trade Destinations
After the crazy year we've had this year in sports, it's only a matter of time before the New York Knicks get their opportunity to shine. Knicks fans have long since been waiting for the year that their team regains some relevancy in regards to an NBA Championship. Right now, the Knicks are having sort of an identity crisis. On one hand, you have an elite seasoned veteran who is an excellent one on one scorer who thrives in isolation. On the other side, you have an owner who is determined to make the triangle offense work. Along with that, they have an amazing second year player by the name of Kristaps Porzingis who is doing nothing but improving as his playing days increase. Having a big man that can run the triangle is one of the main things that the owner, Phil Jackson, wanted when he took control of the New York Knicks. In his mind, isolation ball has no business in his offense. So where does that leave his all-star small forward Carmelo Anthony? One of the possibilities that came up was for Carmelo Anthony to opt out his no-trade clause and allow for the Knicks to trade him. In order for this to even be possible, they would have to convince Carmelo to play along. So if they convince Carmelo to participate, what teams would benefit the most from a Carmelo Anthony trade?
Los Angeles Clippers: Sounds crazy, right? Imagine a starting lineup with Chris Paul, J.J. Reddick, Carmelo Anthony, & DeAndre Jordan. Offensively, this team could probably compete with any team in the West. Carmelo Anthony has been rumored to mentioning that living in L.A. has crossed his mind before. And what better team is there in L.A. than the Clippers (sadly). With Doc Rivers as the coach, who knows how deadly their offense could be. However, to make this dream work the Clippers would have to part ways with their young superstar Blake Griffin. Blake Griffin has consistently improved over the years but many people believe that he is benefiting tremendously off of CP3. He is in the last year of his contract so a trade now will ensure that the Clippers are able to get something from him if he decides to take his talents elsewhere. New York is a large market and has a young team that could use a stretch 4 with his defensive and athletic skills. Rose, Griffin, Porzingis, Noah, and Lee is a pretty good starting lineup. I'm not going to go as far as to say that they would beat Cleveland in a best of seven series, but they would put up a better fight than they would now. The only thing preventing this from gaining momentum is an injured Blake Griffin.
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Houston Rockets: I'm just going to say from the start that I'm pretty sure this couldn't happen unless Houston could find a way to compensate for Carmelo's $24 million. But I'm just going to talk basketball here. Carmelo Anthony has played with Mike D'Antoni before. He was pretty good, to say the least, in a fast paced offense that focuses little on defense. And with James Harden at the point, those two could put up some ridiculous numbers. So far, Houston has looked like the team in the west that could maybe put up as many points as Golden State in a shootout. With the addition of a Carmelo Anthony, they could even get an edge on them (not likely).
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Cleveland Cavaliers: This is laughable. I only bring this up because James and Anthony have been friends for so long. Would the Cavaliers give up let's say J.R. Smith for a Carmelo Anthony? I believe so. But would the Knicks settle for a player that they gave to Cleveland as a "throw in" on another deal? Heck no, unless they are stupid. But there is nothing wrong with dreaming of a lineup with Irving, Anthony, James, Love, and Thompson.
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In Conclusion: I don't think Carmelo will allow the Knicks will trade him. He has been in New York for years and is collecting a pretty decent check from the Knicks. He has already spoken out about how not winning a ring will not cause him to regret his NBA career decisions. So if he is not trying to chase rings, the only other thing left to do is settle for a potentially one and done playoffs and collect a check until he is prepared to retire from the league.
