Carmelo Anthony Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks, Clippers Seeking Third Trade Partner?

January 27th, 2017 at 7:50pm CST by Milo Taibi

7:50 pm: Sam Amick of USA Today reports that J.J. Redick is not believed to be involved in any trade talks (Twitter link). If Redick is out of the mix, talks figure to focus on Austin Rivers and a potential third team.

5:47 pm: The Knicks and Clippers are looking for a third team to complete a potential Carmelo Anthony trade, according to Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN. One of three players in the NBA with a no-trade clause, Anthony has been linked to the Clippers, Celtics, and Cavaliers over the past week.

The Knicks’ most substantive Anthony trade discussions have come with the Clippers, Shelburne and Stein note, after the Cavaliers rebuffed a Kevin Love-for-Anthony swap. None of the Clippers’ big three – Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan – would be available via trade, and with the recent injury to Paul, the team would be hesitant to deal any of their healthy guards.

Various factors have contributed to the search for a third trade partner. If Jamal Crawford were to be involved in a trade, the Knicks wouldn’t want to absorb the three years and $42MM left on his contract after 2016/17. What’s more, Anthony’s 15% trade kicker would be difficult for Los Angeles to accommodate, since the team is nearing its hard cap.

The market has been slow for Anthony, sources tell Shelburne and Stein, in large part due to the limited number of teams Anthony would be willing to join via trade. Anthony, who has two years and $53MM left on his contract after this season, recently conceded to Al Iannazzone of Newsday that he’d consider leaving New York under the right circumstances.

If the Clippers were to make a deal, Austin Rivers may need to be included, and head coach Doc Rivers told Rachel Nichols of ESPN that he’d be willing trade his son if need be. “If you think you can make your team better, you make your team better,” Rivers said. “That’s my job. Listen, I would trade anyone. You have to be willing to do that, so – and he would be one of them, and any of them would be one. But I don’t want to trade any of our guys. I like our team.”

Latest On Carmelo Anthony

January 27th, 2017 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

As the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors heat up in New York, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News offers a reminder that Knicks president Phil Jackson never wanted to sign him to a long-term deal.

Shortly after Jackson took the job in 2014, he urged Anthony to opt in for the final year of his contract. That would have given the organization more cap flexibility and provided time for Jackson to evaluate whether the team should be built around Anthony.

Anthony opted out and re-signed with New York at $124MM over five years, but Deveney says some Knicks officials believe Jackson would have preferred to see him leave. Jackson reportedly believes Anthony will never adapt to fit the triangle offense and sees his value declining as he gets older. Anthony, 32, still has two seasons and more than $54MM left on his contract. Jackson has reached out to several teams and is not getting the type of offers he had hoped for, according to Deveney.

There’s more this morning regarding a possible Anthony deal:

The Celtics have informed the Knicks that they have no interest in trading for Anthony, according to a report on ESPN.com. The teams had “exploratory talks” about Anthony last season.
Jackson could put Anthony in a position where he has to decide between winning or enjoying the New York lifestyle, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Anthony still gets criticism for choosing the unstable Knicks over the Bulls two seasons ago, Isola notes, adding that if he blocks a trade to a contender now, it will raise more questions about his commitment to be part of a successful team.
Al Harrington, Anthony’s longtime friend and a former teammate with the Nuggets, doesn’t believe the Knicks star will waive his no-trade clause, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. “The fact he loves New York so much, I think he probably stays for the rest of his contract,’’ Harrington said. “I know he doesn’t want to leave.’’ Harrington was with Anthony when he forced his way out of Denver and added, “I know what New York means to him and I don’t see him giving up on it.’’

Austin Rivers Could Go If Clippers Trade For Carmelo

January 26th, 2017 at 8:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Combo guard Austin Rivers has been discussed in trade talks between the Knicks and Clippers regarding Carmelo Anthony, an NBA executive told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

The Clippers have emerged as a potential landing spot for Anthony but are apparently unwilling to part with any of their Big Three — Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan — to facilitate a trade.

The Knicks are known to think very favorably of Rivers, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, as they made a push to sign him during free agency, Bill Oram of the Orange County Register notes.

The son of coach Doc Rivers is enjoying a career year and his production has jumped since he joined the starting lineup. Rivers is averaging 17.7 PPG, 3.9 APG and 2.8 RPG over the last 14 games. He signed a three-year contract this summer to rejoin the Clippers with a starting salary of $11MM.

That alone won’t be nearly enough to match up salaries, as Anthony is making $24.6MM this season. Jamal Crawford, who is making $13.25MM, has also had his name tossed into trade discussions, according to Turner. J.J. Redick, who is making $7.38MM, is another logical candidate in potential trade scenarios, Amick adds.

Of course, Anthony would have to waive his no-trade clause to make any deal come to fruition.

One unnamed GM believes it will happen, telling Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net, “I’m betting he is playing next to Blake, Chris Paul and DeAndre right after (trade) deadline.” (Twitter link).

Blazers Duo, Embiid Fail To Make All-Star Cut

January 26th, 2017 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, the Blazers backcourt duo Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum and Jazz center Rudy Gobert were among the prominent players who failed to make the cut on the Western Conference All-Star reserve unit, which was unveiled on Thursday and relayed on the NBA’s Twitter feed. Joel Embiid, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony were some of the notable names who didn’t make the cut on the Eastern Conference squad. (Twitter links).

Russell Westbrook, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan and Gordon Hayward received the most votes by the conference’s coaches, who pick the reserves. Westbrook, of course, was the biggest snub among the All-Star starters as the fan voting, which counted for 50% toward the overall balloting, put him behind Stephen Curry and James Harden.

Paul George, Kevin Love, Kyle Lowry, Paul Millsap, Isaiah Thomas, Kemba Walker and John Wall were named the Eastern Conference’s All-Star reserves.

Did the coaches get it right or was there an obvious mistake on their part? Go to the comments section and weigh in.

Knicks Reached Out To Clippers, Celtics To Gauge Interest In Carmelo Anthony

January 26th, 2017 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

1:25pm: The Knicks and Clippers have discussed the idea of an Anthony trade that wouldn’t involve any of L.A.’s Big Three, according to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. The Knicks are open to that possibility, though it wouldn’t be easy, since the Clippers have a hard cap and can’t afford to add much salary. As noted below, the team has also traded away multiple future first-round picks already.

Isola also points out that even if the Clippers were to put Griffin on the table in trade talks (and there’s no indication the team would do so), the Knicks wouldn’t be able to acquire him as long as Derrick Rose is on their roster. The league’s CBA prohibits teams from carrying two players on maximum-salary, designated-player rookie scale extensions, which describes both Griffin’s contract and Rose’s.

11:45am: In addition to having contacted the Cavaliers to discuss a potential Carmelo Anthony trade, the Knicks have also reached out to the Clippers and Celtics to “probe their interest” in a possible deal involving Anthony, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Chris Mannix of The Vertical.

League sources tell Wojnarowski and Mannix that Knicks president Phil Jackson is “determined to find a destination and deal that Anthony would agree to accept.” The nine-time All-Star is one of three NBA players with a formal no-trade clause in his contract, and has repeatedly expressed a preference to remain with the Knicks. However, Anthony has also acknowledged that if the Knicks wanted to rebuild and came to him with a proposal, he’d be open to considering it.

Although Jackson reportedly told Anthony earlier this month that he doesn’t subscribe to criticisms put forth by his longtime friend Charley Rosen in a recent column, Wojnarowski and Mannix hear from league sources that the Knicks president would like to move Anthony and begin rebuilding around Kristaps Porzingis.

According to The Vertical, the Clippers are a team that would interest Anthony, though it’s not clear if the Clips and Knicks would be able to work out a trade that makes sense for both sides. Los Angeles likely wouldn’t be willing to part ways with one of its Big Three – Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan – and the Clippers have already traded multiple future first-round picks — 2021’s pick would be the earliest one they could move.

As for the Celtics, they’d have an easier time putting together a suitable trade package, since they’re loaded with young players and draft picks. However, GM Danny Ainge has long been considered averse to giving up many of those assets unless he can land a superstar. Anthony would have fit that bill in the past, but he’ll turn 33 this spring, and his production has declined a little in recent years, so he may not be the sort of big fish the C’s want to land.

In addition to the fact that he’ll have to approve any deal, Anthony will also be tricky to trade because of his contract. Including this season, Carmelo has three years and $78.7MM+ on his deal, and his salary would increase substantially if he’s dealt, since the contract features a 15% trade kicker. Any team hoping to acquire him would have to send back significant salary to the Knicks, who will be reluctant to absorb too many multiyear contracts if they want to open up cap room for the coming summer.

Still, despite the potential roadblocks, it appears the Knicks would like to make a move with Anthony in the coming weeks, and with his name continually popping up in trade rumors, the Syracuse product may be more inclined to sign off on a deal. This will be a situation worth monitoring closely as we approach February 23’s trade deadline.

Knicks Rumors: Carmelo, Noah, Hernangomez

January 26th, 2017 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of an ESPN report suggesting the Knicks were rebuffed in their efforts to engage the Cavaliers in a discussion about a possible Carmelo Anthony/Kevin Love swap, Anthony told reporters on Wednesday night that he’s unsure whether his club’s front office is trying to push him out the door. “I honestly don’t know,” Anthony said, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.

“If they want to go in a different direction, that’s something I have to consider,” Anthony later added, hinting again that he’d open to waiving his no-trade clause in certain scenarios. “I think I would have to consider that. All the talk that’s going on, that’s out of my control. Nobody contacted me, nobody contacted my representation or anything like that. So it’s something that I’m not worried about.”

ESPN’s report on the Knicks’ failed pitch to the Cavs suggested that New York’s front office wanted to see if a deal with Cleveland was possible before bringing it to Anthony. So it makes sense that the nine-time All-Star says he had and his reps weren’t contacted by the club about a potential move to Cleveland, since those talks went nowhere. Still, the fact that the Knicks are exploring the possibility of a trade is worth noting.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

The odds of Anthony being moved before the traded deadline appear remote, but it’s not out of the question if the Knicks lower their asking price, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. While Isola declares that team president Phil Jackson seems to have “no use” for Anthony, the Daily News scribe observes that the Knicks forward has the leverage in the situation due to his no-trade clause.
There’s a belief that Anthony would be more inclined to approve a deal to a team like the Cavaliers or Clippers. However, neither of those clubs can make a real play for him without giving up a core piece, which is extremely unlikely, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders details. Kyler identifies a few other teams that could make a more realistic play for Carmelo, including the Magic, Bulls, and Lakers, though he acknowledges that there would be plenty of roadblocks in any scenario, most notably the fact that Anthony controls the process.
LeBron James, whose call for the Cavaliers to add a “playmaker” has dominated headlines this week, was asked on Wednesday about the Anthony rumor and certainly didn’t sound as if he was pushing for such a deal. “I have no reaction,” James said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. “We got 14 guys in here. We need to be ready every night, who we got in here we got to play. We can’t play fantasy basketball. We got who we got and we got to go out and play.”
The Knicks committed four years and $72MM to Joakim Noah last summer, but the time has come for the team to bench Noah and unleash Willy Hernangomez, argues Marc Berman of The New York Post.

Knicks’ Carmelo-For-Love Pitch Rebuffed By Cavs

January 25th, 2017 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have made an effort to engage the Cavaliers in trade talks involving Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love, according to Marc Stein and Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. However, according to Stein and Haynes, those efforts were rebuffed by the Cavs.

Anthony has been the subject of much trade speculation recently, despite the fact that he’s one of three players in the NBA with a formal no-trade clause included in his contract. Although the nine-time All-Star has been adamant that he prefers to stay with the Knicks, he has conceded that if the franchise engages in a rebuild and wants to move him, he’d have to consider waiving his no-trade clause.

[RELATED: Players who can veto trades]

The Cavaliers are viewed as one of the teams that would make Anthony seriously consider approving a trade, given his desire to win a title and his long-standing friendship with LeBron James. Anthony was asked today for his thoughts on James’ desire for the Cavs to add a “playmaker” and suggested that he and the reigning Finals MVP wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of playing on the same team at some point, though he doesn’t expect it to happen this year.

“You ask me a question: Do I think he would want me to play with him? Yes. I do think he would want me to play with him. I don’t think he wouldn’t,” Anthony said, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. “But I don’t know if that comment is about me. I don’t think I’m the only playmaker in the NBA.”

Of course, even if the Knicks and Anthony were on board with the idea of a trade to Cleveland, they’d need the Cavs to cooperate, and there’s no indication that the defending champs have any desire to part with Love, who played a major role in securing that title for the franchise.

While the former Wolves star hasn’t always been a perfect fit in Cleveland, Love is enjoying his best season as a Cavalier, with 20.5 PPG and 10.9 RPG to go along with a 37.4% rate on three-point attempts. Those are the best marks he has posted in each category since he was sent from Minnesota to Cleveland in 2014.

In addition to being unwilling to part with Love, the Cavs don’t appear overly interested in acquiring Anthony, who will turn 33 this spring and has one of the NBA’s largest cap hits. Carmelo’s deal, which currently pays him about $24.56MM this season and runs through 2018/19, would become even more expensive if he’s dealt, since it features a 15% trade kicker. Cleveland already has the league’s highest payroll ($127MM+) and projected tax bill ($27MM+), so the team figures to focus on less expensive targets.

Atlantic Notes: Rose, Zeller, General Electric

January 24th, 2017 at 5:53pm CST by Austin Kent

There has been plenty of speculation surrounding possible Carmelo Anthony trade scenarios, but Frank Isola of the New York Daily News argues that the Knicks would be better served dealing Derrick Rose instead.

Amid all the drama that has unfolded in New York, Rose has quietly put forth his best season since 2011/12. In 41 games for the Knicks, Rose has averaged 18.1 points and 4.5 assists per game. Still, despite the subtle improvements, Isola doesn’t think that the club could legitimately consider signing the 28-year-old guard long-term.

Isola suggests that the Knicks move Rose and his valuable expiring contract instead. He adds that the Knicks, then, should decrease the minutes assigned to Anthony so that they could dangle a high first-round pick and abundant available cap space when pursuing possible free agents next summer.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Out of action since December, Tyler Zeller will return to action for the Celtics tonight, a report published on the team’s official site says. The big man had been battling an illness that affected his inner-ear and consequently, his balance. Zeller averages 4.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
The Celtics will announce a jersey sponsorship agreement with General Electric, tweets Darren Rovell of ESPN. Previously the Sixers agreed to a deal with StubHub and the Kings to a deal with Blue Diamond Almonds.
A regularly scheduled foot scan has revealed that Ben Simmons is healing according to plan, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. In training camp, the Sixers rookie suffered a Jones fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot.

Knicks Notes: Jackson, Anthony, Hernangomez, Rose

January 22nd, 2017 at 9:03am CST by Arthur Hill

The tactics that Phil Jackson used as a coach don’t work well for an executive, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Isola contends that the Knicks president has been playing mind games with Carmelo Anthony in the media, possibly trying to get him to waive his no-trade clause. Anthony turned that around this week by speculating that he might agree to a trade if the Knicks ask him to, putting the decision back on Jackson. Isola also questions how long owner James Dolan is willing to watch an executive publicly criticize his best player. He notes that the Knicks are 5-14 since Jackson’s December 6th interview when he accused Anthony of slowing down the offense. After another disappointing loss Saturday night in which his last-second 3-pointer rimmed out, Anthony said he tries not to concern himself with off-court issues. “I’m done kinda worrying about that,” he said. “My only focus is the guys in the locker room.”

There’s more today out of New York:

It might be time for Anthony and the Knicks to part ways, writes George Willis of The New York Post. Willis believes an Anthony deal might be necessary considering the current state of the team, which is now 19-26 and three games out of the final playoff spot. Anthony met with Jackson earlier this week to discuss a column by Jackson confidant Charley Rosen suggesting that Anthony was no longer useful in New York. Willis notes that Anthony would get an additional $9.9MM over two seasons if he gets traded and lists the Cavaliers, Clippers and Celtics as possible destinations.
The Knicks believe they found a steal in rookie Willy Hernangomez, writes Fred Kerber of The New York Post. Hernangomez has been drawing comparisons to Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, his teammate on the Spanish National Team. “When I heard that, I felt great because it means they see what I can do,” Hernangomez said. “I try to work hard every day, and when I have the chance to be on the court, I do my best. For me, I feel very happy when they compare me to Marc Gasol.” Henangomez is averaging 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in 36 games. The Knicks acquired his rights in a draft-day trade in 2015 after the Sixers took him with the 35th pick.
Point guard Derrick Rose isn’t getting foul calls on his drives to the basket the way he used to in Chicago, writes Brian Heyman for Newsday.

Carmelo Would Consider Waiving NTC If Knicks Ask

January 20th, 2017 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

As one of just three NBA players with a formal no-trade clause in his contract, Carmelo Anthony wields an unusual amount of leverage. While Anthony prefers to remain a Knick and can’t be dealt without his approval, the nine-time All-Star tells Al Iannazzone of Newsday that he’d be willing to consider waiving that NTC if the front office wanted to move him.

“I think it will be more on the front office,” Anthony said. “I have the power, but still I would talk to them. We would be in communication if they feel like they want to go in a different direction, they want to start rebuilding for the future. If they tell me they want to scrap this whole thing, yeah, I have to consider it.”

Anthony reiterated that he has no interest in leaving New York, and wants to win with the Knicks. However, as he suggests, the idea of a multiyear rebuilding project probably doesn’t appeal much to him, so if the Knicks were to tear things down, he’d be more open to accepting a deal. Otherwise, he’d like to stick with the club, even in a season that has been disappointing so far.

“When you’re in the middle of battling, whether we’re winning or losing, me personally, it’s hard to even sit down and say, ‘[Expletive], I want to get out of here,'” Anthony said. “There’s a part of me that also would feel like I’m being selfish to the guys that are on the team right now, in the midst of us losing to just try to figure a way to escape from everything. For me personally, it would be more of something I would really have to think about and consider. Put it all on the table and figure it out.”

Following the publication of a column by Charley Rosen of FanRag, a longtime Phil Jackson confidant, that was extremely critical of Anthony, the Knicks forward met with the team president earlier this week. During that sit-down, Anthony informed Jackson that he wants to remain with the franchise, while Jackson distanced himself from the criticisms in Rosen’s piece.