Carmelo Anthony could take another look at the Cavaliers after Tuesday’s Kyrie Irving trade, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.
Anthony had originally named Cleveland and Houston as teams he was willing to waive his no-trade clause to join, but he later trimmed that list to just the Rockets.
However, the package of assets the Cavs acquired from Boston makes them a more attractive trading partner for the Knicks and maybe a better destination for Anthony, according to Berman.
He adds that Cleveland only wanted to talk about Kristaps Porzingis when New York tried to get in on the Irving sweepstakes, but the Cavaliers may have more interest in picking up Anthony for a one-year run at a title before he, LeBron James and Isaiah Thomas all possibly become free agents next summer.
Berman also speculates that Anthony might be getting “antsy” while waiting for Houston to come up with a third, and maybe fourth, team to facilitate a deal.
The Knicks would love to pick up Cleveland’s Jae Crowder, Berman adds, although he can’t be traded for 60 days. Also, the Nets’ first-rounder that the Cavs acquired frees them to trade their own 2018 pick. New York may also have interest in taking back former first-round choice Iman Shumpert now that ex-president Phil Jackson is no longer in the front office.
Berman notes that an Anthony buyout is unlikely with Steve Mills as president, so a trade will be needed to get the unhappy star out of town. However, that may change if no deal is made before the February deadline and the team decides the savings are worth it, although his $27,928,140 option year would still count against the cap.
No way they give up the Nets pick for Anthony. In addition, Crowder is a better fit for the team. No need to add Anthony unless he gets bought out, and wants to join for the vet min.
Bingo
they’d give up there pick not nets pick
The article says two things that you missed.
Not the Nets pick…..their own pick as Bucks fan points out,
and number two, Anthony’s not getting bought out with Mills running the Knicks.
If Anthony waives his kicker, then a package of Shumpert, Crowder, Osman and Felder would seem like a decent haul, especially with Cleveland’s own 2018 1st thrown in. Sign D-Wade after a buyout and the Banana Boat gang is almost complete.
Are you a Knicks fan?
Replace Crowder with filler salary and that’s a legit trade. Anthony is an overpaid rental who is pretty good, but also holds power with the NTC. A first rounder and some rotation pieces is what I’d expect, and Crowder is a nice piece but I’d still take Anthony to run for one more title.
Would Shumpert, Frye, Jefferson and Tavares with a 2nd rounder from Cleveland going to NY be too much on the low end? That’s another salary iteration that would work.
Gotta keep Jefferson. He comes alive in the playoffs.
Frye tuff to trade with that contract.
He’s on an expiring one @ $7m.
No, Tavares needs to go to the actual good team that plays at the Garden.
he has hockey skills?
The Rangers do need a center…
And a bag of balls
That’s something more along the lines of what I’d be willing to do. Shumpert isn’t good, Felder probably isn’t either, and I like Osman but let’s not pretend he’ll be a stud either. For a late first rounder and some filler pieces, I’d probably do it.
That said, maybe I’m crazy, but I’d honestly rather have Crowder than Carmelo right now. Melo can still score but he isn’t gonna make the defense any better (Crowder is a game changer there), and he’ll need a ton of shots. That’s not ideal for a team with IT, LeBron, and Love.
I just don’t see how Melo is much of a fit for the Cavs, so I wouldn’t really be interested in acquiring him unless it was an insanely cheap deal, which seems unlikely.
Crowder actually plays D. Adding Anthony just gives them another offensive weapon and another superstar who wants the ball. They have to keep Crowder to defend Durant in the Championship.
Best trade concoction involves Anthony to Cleveland, Love to Portland and Harkless/Turner heading to New York. Yes, other players and picks would be involved… but that would be core to the deal.
Why would the Cavs want to include Love in a deal for Melo? The idea is to add him along with Love, LBJ and IT.
And why would the Knicks take crappy contracts?
No assets for another SF until TristanT gets some help. GSW did not beat Cle by ‘pace and space’, they won by coming at TT in waves.
Now that the Durant problem has been addressed with Crowder, I would prefer to see interest in Kyle Oquinn more than Melo. Because, who knows what to expect from Zizic or Tavares, or if a trade for a top center is possible. And Frye was not favored by Lue vs GSW. And yes GSW does field centers, multiple ones.
Crowder is not going to slow down Durant. You’re in for a rude awakening if that’s what your expecting.
I am pretty sure that crowder will be guarding someone like green so lebron main focus can be guarding Durant rather than be concerned with others
Lebron preferrably guards Green, who covers less ground; It is believed nobody is a Durant-stopper. That assignmemt will go to ‘fresh legs’!
Your not getting crowded or nets pick in Carmelo trade. He can’t play d and his offense has dipped and looks to keep dipping at this point in his career. A package including the cavs 1st rounder, iman shumpert, and possibly Kay felder would make sense. If cavs can get wade and Carmelo that’s a pretty deep team.
Cavs would have to reach $21MM in salary for Melo, $24MM for Melo and Oquinn, for matching. That would require Smith also or some other mix.
It’s like with Wade & Chicago!–
NY would probably rather a one-year buyout than pay $24MM for two years fpr players that would just hurt their draft position before Zinger was ready to lead a playoff charge… “A proper rebuild”.
I’m guessing Thompson would have to be included for salary matching purposes. No idea why the Knicks would be interested in Shump. Jae Crowder is a much better fit and is on a way better contract than Anthony. Don’t see how anything changed here
I’d be happy if Noah goes out too
I bet you would… they might as well waive and stretch him at this point. Unless you like the idea of attaching him to Zinger or the French kid just to have a clean slate. Gotta spend that money somehow so maybe hang onto the contract and hope to be a third wheel in a trade.
I think a deal only gets done if TT is included, the Cavs have to give up too many players in any other scenario.
A deal like TT, Shump, Osman, Felder and the Cavs pick for Melo, and O’Quinn works salary wise. The Cavs and Knicks lineups could then be:
Cavs
PG – IT, Rose
SG – Crowder, Smith, Korver
SF – LBJ, Melo, Jefferson
PF – Love, Melo, Frye
C – O’Quinn, Love, Zizic
Cavs would have the flexibility to play multiple lineups, including a crazy offensive one in IT, Smith, LBJ, Melo and Love.
Knicks
PG – Sessions, Ntilikina, Felder
SG – Hardaway, Shumpert, Baker
SF – Lee, Thomas, Osman
PF – Zinger, Thompson, Kuzminskus
C – Hernangomez, Thompson, Noah
Cavs have Jose Calderon too don’t forget.
Baker is a point guard. And why in the world would the Knicks take back worse contracts?
It is not clear to me (or anyone in general) how much the Knick FO or Knick fans want to unload Melo. The FO has not said (?) and fans are divided.
If Melo ‘needs to be gone’ then he has a so-called bad contract, and his exchange will probably be for other “bad contracts”. I would not call Shumpert that as he would be the best PG on the Knick roster and his stats are still improving, at 36% for 3s and is athletic at 6-5, at $10MM, player option 2nd year.
But the problem is getting to $21MM for matching, for any team, if no ‘bad contracts’ are acceptable.
Melo is overpaid, legally hard to move, and viewed as cancerous. There is ‘writing on the wall’.
I think the Cavs have to keep Crowder and that Nets pick. Obviously they won’t move LBJ, Love, or Thomas either. Without all those assets I am not sure there is enough to entice the Knicks to make a deal. Though Frye’s expiring contract, the non guaranteed deals of Tavares and Felder would probably interest the nets I don’t think Shump, their pick, and filler is enough to put the deal over the top.
I obviously meant the Knicks not the Nets at the end there.
Shumpert and Crowder for Melo and Courtney Lee
That doesn’t work. Shumpert and Crowder make like a combined 23 million and Melo and Lee are like in the 35-40 range.
Plus the Cavs are getting Melo by the trade deadline for veterans minimum after NY buys him out. Melo becomes a backup in the Cavs lineup.
Cavs aren’t trading anything to NYC for Melo that NYC would take. Cavs aren’t trading Crowder due to his D N 3. Melo can get as antsy as he wants, but the banana boat can wait.
Keep the pick for all we know it may end up being top 3 pick
Knicks won’t move Melo for only bad contracts and remote picks or the Houston deal would have happened. Cavs # 1 (freed up by the KI deal) seems good, but trading it would preclude Cavs from later trading the Nets pick. The Cavs would be looking at adding Melo as if they were adding a 4 (Houston did as well) because of the rest of their roster, so I think it would still have to be a multi-team deal.
Why would the Knicks buy out Melo? They won’t. Old management was going to do that and guess what. He was fired. Either the Cavs or Rockets overpay for Melo or wait for the next season after Melo opts out his player option. Either way the Knicks will be off the books with his contract without having to eat Major Dead Money. And if this happens that doesn’t mean he is going to the cavs or the Rockets because LBJ and CP3 as well as D-Wade all free Agents.
I wouldn’t be expecting Melo to opt out of his 27+ mm player option, at least based on the buyout negotiations that did take place – initiated by Melo, btw. Jackson was seeking a buyout that would involve Melo getting about 75-80% of this year’s contract, around 20 mm, and nothing for his player option. Melo wanted almost the full amount of both, 50 mm. Jackson did a bunch of bonehead things, but listening to Melo’s agents on a proposed buyout wasn’t one of them. Nor was exploring offers for Porzingis (or any other player). He was fired by agreement for bigger picture reasons. If Melo gets really frustrated, and agrees to waive his player option, I could definitely see the Knicks buying him out at the deadline (but no dead money beyond this year, which was always the case then and now).
Let’s wait then– for two years. Melo has an option at $28MM for ’18/’19. That means basically without a buyout or adverse trade, since nobody is likely to match that… Heee’s ba-ack! And the Knicks will be over the salary cap for another year after the next one.
A sensible NY/Cle trade:
Shumpert10.3 and Felder(min) -for- Sessions2.3 and Oquinn4.1 (totals 10.3 and 6.4).
Cle gets luxury tax reduction and center depth; NY gets an upgrade at starting PG and SF depth. Also Shumpert is a better role model for Nkitina– he’s been there, and works hard for the team.