Carmelo Anthony will head to the Thunder after the team struck a deal with the Knicks to bring the 10-time All-Star to the club.
OKC gave up Enes Kanter, who performed admirably off the bench last season before struggling in the playoffs, Doug McDermott, and a future second-rounder for what could be just one season of Melo. The small forward can opt to become a free agent next summer, though that would mean giving up nearly $28MM in salary for the 2018/19 campaign.
For the Knicks, getting Melo to expand his list of teams beyond the Rockets was a step in the right direction. The front office didn’t want to enter training camp with Anthony and the potential distraction of having a disgruntled future Hall of Famer surrounding the team. With the Cavs and Thunder included on Melo’s revised list, the organization scoured deals and pulled the trigger on one that doesn’t particularly help them in the short term.
Kanter should be productive on the offensive end, but his struggles on the defensive end, coupled with the team’s abundance of frontcourt options, will limit the big man’s ability to positively impact the game. McDermott, who’s a former lottery pick, will be given a chance to shine in the league’s biggest market, though there’s not much evidence that he’ll be successful with an expanded role.
The return that the Knicks received signals that they are content with coasting through this season near the bottom of the standings with the hopes of landing a top pick in the 2018 draft.
It’s not as blatant of a tank job as the one that took place two hours south in Philadelphia, but two plans share very similar principles and it makes sense based on where this team is in its current state. New York couldn’t net a blue-chip asset in a deal for the 33-year-old, so the best course of action was to manufacture one via its own 2018 first-rounder. The Knicks will likely be among the worst teams in the east this season, though the chance of landing a top prospect next June will inspire hope in their fan base.
Do you believe the Knicks took the best course of action trading Melo to the Thunder or was keeping him the better option? Houston appeared to be willing to send Ryan Anderson to the Knicks for Anthony. Is this trade better than receiving an Anderson-centered package? Was there another trade with one of the team’s on Melo’s list that made more sense for the Knicks?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
I’d imagine Houston offered two 1sts and Anderson for Anthony considering other teams whatever two 1sts just for taking Anderson in a salaru dump. If that’s the case, the Houston trade would’ve been better because two 1sts are better than a 2nd and Kanter takes away pt for Hernangomez. I also don’t think McDermott is anything. Jerami Grant would’ve been a better player to receive
Good point; we don’t know what besides Anderson was offered. But since the Rockets would also be taking a bad contract I can’t assume the 2 firsts would also be offered.
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Dougie Buckets may have preferred so as to sell tickets to see a now-obviously tanker. If he isn’t that popular, he is expiring.
Salarywise Grant would not be enough but there was a couple other small available salaries. But Presti wasn’t offering Abrines either.
If McDermott is a player the Knicks actually like, I wish the Bulls would’ve inquired on Anthony. McDermott, Zipser and the 2017 first would’ve been worthwhile for me (a bulls fan)
And with Wade there I think he may have accepted.
Rondo Wade Butler Melo and Lopez isn’t gonna win you a championship but they’ll play some good postseason basketball
Last year the Knicks thought they were about to be a top 5 seed so they wouldn’t have thought of trading him
Butler is a timberwolf
You realize McBuckets was traded last year, before Butler, this is a What If.
Now it’s D-Wade’s turn to get out of the east
Hate to tell you this but the west just got a little worse. Dump those old aging James wanna Bs in ticket starved west teams.
When you’re tanking everything changes. Hardaway jr hasn’t even checked in yet and already he has a bad contract. Half the team has bad contracts.
The “winner of the trade” Lance Thomas making $6.7MM and 45% from 3 might be available who knows… too good, amd will be over 30 when NY is good again.
Tanking is a trap. Is Zinger on board with it?
Knicks did the right thing. They can start to rebuild and the malcontent Melo is gone. Kanter is not a stiff and McBuckets will be fun to watch in MSG. OKC will be a circus! Russ ain’t sharing the rock! Russ will be jacking one up or dunking before Melo jogs across mid-court. OKC is burnt toast after next season.
Hopefully Russ has learned something with Durant leaving and having to do it all himself last year. MVP is nice but advancing thru playoffs is better.
Hopefully he shares the rock this year, and that’s assuming he knows how to. Yes he avg 10 assists, but i seen him jack up terrible, near half-court 3-pointers with 18 seconds on the shot clock way too many times.
The problem is that Russ is a natural shooting guard (a position he played in college). He should have a playmaker around him but neither PG13 nor Melo are one. If he goes to LA after this year (which I think he will), he’ll thrive next to Lonzo.
Great Point. Imagine that lineup !! Lonzo, who doesn’t want or need to shoot with all those marksman. Wow !!
Burke is a smart kid. Stay away from the OKC soap opera.
Um…, he wouldn’t have made the team. It’s all about Burke trying to find his place in the league… not picking and choosing the team he wants to play for.
Sam Presti, MVP 2017-2018
OKC is gonna be a fun experiment to watch next year.
Hate this deal for the Knicks. Though Melo had to go, Kanter is useless with Hernangomez and O’Quinn, McBuckets is totally one dimensional, and a useless second.
Would have preferred almost anything to this. Whether it be Turner, Harkless and a first from Portland, or Anderson and firsts from Houston. Yesterday was the last day of my Knicks fandom.
Assuming those offers were made, the Kanter trade clears out salary a year faster… although not faster than if they just kept Melo and transitioned gradually… it’s like they put him on the stretch provision!
What weird terms the NBA is giving us. I should probably study up on my exhibit 10s.
Anyway I doubt Houston offered two #1s and Portland never got shortlisted.