It’s that time of the year again.
The Knicks are on the outside of the playoffs, looking in, and the trade deadline is approaching. It’s time for the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors to fly. Of course, leading the charge is Isola of the News.
Before we begin any discussion of Melo trades, we need to come to terms with one simple fact. Carmelo Anthony has a full no-trade clause. He can veto any trade, making the number of viable destinations very limited.
We know that Carmelo loves New York. We know his wife and son love New York. And his recent denial of the Isola trade rumor seemed heartfelt.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Anthony told Sirius XM radio on Saturday
“Doing it in New York is better than doing it any place in the world,” Anthony said. “One championship in New York is better than multiple somewhere else. That was the reason I wanted to come to New York. That’s the reason I’m in New York.
“I don’t want to run,” he added. “I could have ran somewhere when I was a free agent. I came back for a reason. I came back because I want to be here. I don’t feel like I got to keep expressing that part of why I came back to New York.”
All in all, it seems highly unlikely that Anthony would currently sign off on his exit from the Big Apple.
But let’s just present a hypothetical. Perhaps in a moment of self reflection, Anthony renders that ensuring an NBA champsionship is his number one goal. At 31, clearly he would see that his prime window is closing.
There is no doubt that the accelerated development of Kristaps Porzingis is a step in the right direction for the Knick’s ultimate goal of a championship. But he still has a ways to go before he’s considered even the 3rd option on a championship contender.
The reality is, the Knicks need to land another star to be a championship contender in the next 3 years. Porzingis simply won’t be ready in that timeframe to step up as a first or second option on a contender. While there is a chance the Knicks snag Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook, it’s quite a leap of faith.
Because of the aforementioned reasons, there are only two viable destinations for Carmelo Anthony when considering contender status and fit.
The Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Both teams are legitimate title contenders, with elite playmakers, who happen to be close friends with Anthony – Chris Paul and Lebron James.The addition of Melo on either team would improve their dynamics, thus increasing their championship chances.
In Los Angeles, he would space the floor much better around Deandre Jordan than Blake Griffin currently can. Speaking of Griffin, he is currently out for at least another month. To add insult to injury, the Clippers have thrived in his absence, going 18-5 since he went down with a quad injury in December. The recent Clippers renaissance adds even further evidence that Griffin currently does not fit next to the paint occupying Jordan. Not to mention, Anthony is playing the best basketball of his career, giving the Clippers a better shot at a title in the next 2 years than with Griffin.
For the Cavaliers, he would be an all-around upgrade over Kevin Love. And let’s be honest, despite Love’s obvious talents, he has not been a cultural or scheme fit for the Cavaliers up to this point. Adding Carmelo would be giving Lebron a number one scorer, and allow him to drop back into the distributor role that he prefers. We have seen the Lebron-Melo tandem work majestically on Team USA, implying an inherent chemistry between the two. The combination of Melo, Irving and Lebron would give the Cavs enough firepower to compete with the Warriors at the highest level.
Now if the Knicks were to trade Carmelo, it would be an admission to rebuilding. The problem is neither the Clippers nor Cavs have the young assets the Knicks would covet. In both scenarios, a third team would have to be involved.
Clippers Land Melo, Suns Capture Young Star
Knicks Get: Markieff Morris F, Devin Booker G, Mirza Teletovic F, 2016 1st rounder (from CLE)
Clippers Get: Carmelo Anthony F
Suns Get: Blake Griffin F
The Phoenix front office has been known to make drastic moves. Just a year ago, they dealt both Goran Dragic and, now all-star, Isaiah Thomas at the trade deadline. This offseason, they made an aggressive move to sign Tyson Chandler in an effort to lure Lamarcus Aldridge away from Portland and San Antonio (it almost worked). They are craved for a star, and Griffin would be the answer to their prayers. After injuries to Bledsoe and Knight, this season is practically a throw away anyway, so Blake’s own injury situation shouldn’t pose a threat to this scenario. The Suns could go into next year with a starting lineup featuring Bledsoe, Knight, Tucker, Griffin and Chandler. Enough to at least get them to the second round of the playoffs.
In this deal, the Knicks would gain multiple talented, young players. The disgruntled, but talented Markieff Morris is just 26 years old and signed to a very cap friendly deal at $8 million per year for the next three years. He would provide ideal depth and versatility in the frontcourt alongside Lopez and Porzingis. Devin Booker looks to be one of the steals of the 2015 draft, and on his way to becoming a top 5 shooter in this league. He has the potential to be a Klay Thompson caliber player. Finally the Knicks would be able to draft another young player by picking up a low first round pick this year.
Cavs Prepare For Battle, Ainge Gets His Guy
Knicks Get: David Lee F, 2016 1st rounder (from BKN), 2016 1st rounder (DAL)
Cavs Get: Carmelo Anthony F
Celtics Get: Kevin Love F
We know that Danny Ainge has been building his war chest for quite some time now. His stockpiling of draft picks even has Sam Hinkie’s respect. With the development of several key players, and a budding superstar coach in Brad Stevens, the Celtics find themselves with the 3rd best record in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics have the assets to land a star, simply waiting for one to become available. The addition of Anthony would make Love expendable to the Cavaliers. The ink is still fresh on the 5 year, $110 million contract that Love signed with the Cavaliers in the offseason. Getting a talented 27-year old forward with 4 years remaining on his contract is one of the few things that would make Ainge concede the coveted Nets draft pick.
If the Knicks do deal Anthony, obtaining the Net’s unprotected 1st rounder from the Celtics is an ideal outcome. The pick is a virtual lock to be in the top 4 selections, and has a chance to become the number one overall pick. A future pairing of Ben Simmons and Kristaps Porzingis would be too tantalizing for the Knick’s brass to pass up. Even if the pick didn’t win the lottery, there would be enticing options such as Brandon Ingram, Skal Labissiere and Jamal Murray on the table. It would certainly jumpstart the rebuilding process to have two top 4 selections in consecutive years. No better way to hit the reset button.