Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors: Cavs, Blazers Realistic Options For New York Knicks?
Carmelo Anthony trade rumors are starting to pick up with less than a week until the 2017 NBA Draft. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and Portland Trail Blazers have all been mentioned as possible destinations for the All-Star forward, but New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson still hasn’t been able to find the right deal. For an Anthony trade to work, he has to waive his no-trade clause and his new team has to be able to absorb a salary of around $54 million over the next two years.
A new report by Sports Illustrated deals with the question of whether Anthony and the Knicks will ever part ways. It also points out how many salary cap problems the Knicks could have during the 2018-19 NBA season if the team doesn’t correctly address those situations in the next few weeks. In addition to figuring out the Anthony situation, the Knicks also have to pick the right player with the No. 8 selection in the 2017 NBA Draft and then make the right moves in free agency.
It’s not a secret that the relationship between Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson has been strained, which is why so many NBA trade rumors include the New York Knicks. A big question becomes how desperate the team is to part ways with him. Would the Knicks buy out Anthony’s deal? Would the team trade Anthony in a salary dump? Should the Knicks just fire Jackson and make this Anthony’s team?
Frank Ntilikina raves about New York and explains why he would thrive with #Knicks https://t.co/stjG2UCS1U
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 12, 2017
In regard to all the latest Carmelo Anthony trade rumors, the easiest fit is with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers could match salaries and send back first-round draft picks to acquire Anthony, but the Knicks would have to be willing to take on salaries. Taking back Evan Turner and Meyers Leonard would match salaries with the Knicks, then they could talk about draft-pick compensation. The Blazers have three first-round picks in the 2017 NBA Draft, all of which could help the Knicks’ rebuilding efforts.
Will this be the summer Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks part ways? (by @DannyLeroux) https://t.co/wiFpe6pzQS pic.twitter.com/LGHr1PSzOY
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) June 17, 2017
While there is a lot of media attention on LeBron James trying to lure Anthony to the Cavs, that might not work unless the team wants to give up on Kevin Love. What would work is if the Knicks bought out Anthony’s contract, allowing him to go there in free agency. That’s an extremely unlikely scenario, though, so fans might want to stop considering it.
The most realistic result of the coming NBA offseason is for the New York Knicks to simply hold on to Anthony. The team needs to work hard to put the right pieces around him and then maybe a spot in the postseason will await them. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers aren’t going to be able to give the Knicks much-needed draft picks, so those teams aren’t good fits. If the Knicks can convince the Blazers to seriously consider a Carmelo Anthony trade, then it becomes more likely that something gets done soon.
[Featured Image by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images]
