NBA Trade Rumors: Blockbuster Trade Involving Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Love Negotiated
NBA trade rumors suddenly reveal a possible blockbuster including Carmelo Anthony. These NBA trade rumors come from a report by Frank Isola at the New York Daily News. In his report, Isola states that negotiations have taken place between the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, and Cleveland Cavaliers. The core components of the trade would have Carmelo Anthony going to the Cavs and Kevin Love going to the Boston Celtics.
The deal hasn’t progressed past the negotiation phase and there are certainly a lot of road blocks for the Knicks, Celtics, and Cavs to overcome. A primary block is that Carmelo Anthony has a no-trade clause that Knicks president Phil Jackson would have to work around. The Knicks would also expect significant assets back in any deal, which the Celtics have been hesitant to give up in recent NBA trade rumors.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Celtics are loaded with assets that the team could deal before the NBA trade deadline. It includes the 2016 first-round pick of the Brooklyn Nets, the 2016 first-round pick of the Dallas Mavericks, and three second-round picks in the 2016 NBA Draft. That is in addition to their two picks, bringing the total to seven potential selections that the Celtics could have in 2016. Those could be very valuable assets to the Knicks in any blockbuster deal that includes Carmelo Anthony.
Frank Isola states that this possible blockbuster trade began with the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers discussing a deal that involved Kevin Love. Now it suddenly includes the New York Knicks, presumably because the team has a player that the Cavs would really like to acquire. If the Cavs were to send players out in this deal, it would likely include Timofey Mozgov going to the Knicks.
The Knicks have been in a free fall in the Eastern Conference, losing 10 of their last 11 games. It has them down into the 13th spot in the East alone, suggesting that making it into the 2016 NBA Playoffs is no longer possible. This presents some interesting options for Knicks president Phil Jackson, as he needs to keep the fans and Anthony happy as the team tries to rebuild its roster. Dealing Anthony could certainly help the franchise add depth and youth, but it might frustrate the fans who have become devoted to Anthony over the last few years.
It needs to be made clear that these negotiations haven’t evolved very far and it could simply boil down to three active general managers trying to feel out the landscape. With the NBA trade deadline approaching on February 18, many franchises are trying to figure out how to either make a push to the playoffs or deal away star players before the offseason. Anthony has never demanded a trade from the New York Knicks and holds all the cards with his no-trade clause. Going to play with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers might cause him to waive it though.
Since the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers are all over the NBA salary cap, salaries would have to match up between the trio of teams in any deal. Timofey Mozgov makes only about $5 million this season, so another player would have to be included. That could be David Lee of the Celtics, as he makes about $15.5 million this year. As coincidence would have it, both Mozgov and Lee have played for the Knicks in the past.
So is a major deal brewing behind the scenes during the 2016 All-Star break? The components of this potential trade work on paper and it would certainly shift the entire landscape in the Eastern Conference. Are the New York Knicks ready to completely rebuild the roster? Are the Boston Celtics going all-in this season? Can Carmelo Anthony work well with LeBron James on the same court? These are exciting NBA trade rumors for the three teams involved and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
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