NBA Trade Rumors: Carmelo Anthony To Cavs, Paul Millsap To Knicks, Kevin Love To Hawks Highlight Blockbuster Eight-Player Deal

NBA trade rumors are heating up about Atlanta Hawks power forward Paul Millsap being shopped around the league. According to Fox Sports, NBA insider Marc Stein of ESPN has reported that the Hawks are listening to offers for Millsap, and the article goes on to opine that the New York Knicks should be very interested in making a deal for Paul Millsap.

Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love has been mentioned in various NBA trade rumors in recent months, including this one published by Sports Illustrated. In this report, a trade that would have Kevin Love going to Atlanta is discussed, and that proposed deal would also involve Paul Millsap.

Another star player who has been targeted by the rumor mill is New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony. It is well-known that Anthony and Cavs superstar small forward LeBron James are close friends, and there have been multiple rumors in the media that the Cavaliers could be looking into a possible trade to bring Anthony to Cleveland, including this piece from iTech Post.

A potential trade for Carmelo Anthony is not the only transaction that the Cavs might be pondering. NBC Sports has detailed the concerns the team has regarding shooting guard Iman Shumpert. Shumpert was arrested in September, 2016 for suspicion of DUI and marijuana possession, and he hasn’t been playing well so far this season as the team feels he is not properly focused on his role with the Cavaliers. The article reveals that Shumpert has been offered via trade to other teams in the recent past, and he could be dealt prior to the upcoming trade deadline.

The latest NBA trade rumors are pointing toward a possible blockbuster deal between the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and Atlanta Hawks. The hypothetical trade scenario that is being shared and discussed online is structured as follows: the Cavs would receive Carmelo Anthony and shooting guard Kyle Korver. The Knicks would acquire Paul Millsap, Iman Shumpert, point guard Dennis Schroder, and center Tiago Splitter. Finally, the Hawks would come out of this swap with Kevin Love and point guard Derrick Rose.

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If the Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to this deal, it would only make sense if Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James spent significant time at power forward, and in a league where more and more teams are “playing small,” this could be an option for the Cavs. The biggest problem that Cleveland would have with this theoretical swap is that Kevin Love is having a fabulous 2016-17 season and fitting in very well with his teammates. Love’s weakness is on the defensive end of the floor, but Anthony is not a particularly good defensive player, so that issue would not be addressed by obtaining Carmelo Anthony.

The New York Knicks would have a crowded front line as a result of this rumored trade, but the team might decide to bench the struggling Joakim Noah and start Paul Millsap and Kristaps Porzingis. The other problem would be replacing Carmelo Anthony; this trade would not bring in a small forward, so the Knicks would have a large hole at that position if they agreed to this offer.

This deal looks solid for the Atlanta Hawks, as Love would replace Millsap, and Rose would take Schroder’s spot at point guard. The trade would leave the Hawks thin at shooting guard, however, since Kent Bazemore would be the only pure shooting guard left if Kyle Korver was sent out.

This offering from the current batch of NBA trade rumors is a fascinating scenario, and it would be a legal trade per NBA rules (as verified by the ESPN NBA Trade Machine). The value each team would receive is also within reason, but at least two of the three teams involved in this rumored transaction would look at the pros and cons of this proposal, and ultimately turn it down. The Hawks may give this a thumbs-up, but the fit just isn’t good enough for the Cavs or the Knicks to jump into a huge trade like this one.

[Featured Image by Kathy Willens/AP Images]