Anthony Still Pondering No-Trade Clause
Carmelo Anthony is easily the most unhappy All-Star in New Orleans this weekend, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.
Anthony was planning a Caribbean vacation when he got the news that he would be replacing the injured Kevin Love in tonight’s game. He told reporters that he can’t get a refund on the trip and would have declined the invitation if the NBA permitted it.
Anthony had been planning to spend his time “evaluating” his long-running feud with Knicks president Phil Jackson and considering whether to waive his no-trade clause if the team can find a suitable deal. Trading Anthony won’t be easy because his salary is nearly $25MM, plus a trade kicker that brings the total up to about $28MM.
New York has reportedly had talks with the Clippers, Cavaliers and Celtics, but Anthony says Knicks management hasn’t spoken to him about the situation. He was non-committal Saturday when asked about his future.
“It would be up in the air,” Anthony said. “Something I have a problem thinking about it. To say I don’t think about it, I’d be wrong, I’d be lying to you. I think about it. Think about it a lot. I think about what’s best for me, what’s best for the organization and what’s out there. I think about that stuff.’’
Anthony, who has spent six years in New York, also stated that he plans to discuss any deals with his family before making a decision on the no-trade clause. He said his fellow All-Stars have been asking him about the situation since he arrived in New Orleans.
Woj: Butler Trade To The Celtics Still Possible
A potential trade sending Jimmy Butler from the Bulls to the Celtics will loom over deadline week, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link).
In a video interview, Wojnarowski says the teams have discussed a deal involving Butler, but talks haven’t progressed very far. He adds that Chicago officials have to to fully commit to the rebuilding process before they would be willing to give up Butler.
Wojnarowski says the trade would involve one of the Nets’ first-rounders — but probably not both — that Boston owns in the next two drafts. If the Bulls get this year’s pick, Wojnarowski states they can find a replacement for Derrick Rose, who was traded to the Knicks last summer. Washington’s Markelle Fultz and UCLA’s Lonzo Ball are point guards mentioned as likely choices at the top of the draft.
Teaming Butler with Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford would give the Celtics enough firepower to challenge Cleveland for supremacy in the East, Wojnarowski states, not just this season but for years to come.
Other highlights from the interview:
- The Clippers and Thunder are both potential landing spots for Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler. However, both teams are low on draft picks and may not have the assets that Denver would want in return.
- The Thunder were trying to acquire Kings forward Rudy Gay before a season-ending Achilles injury.
- The Wizards would like to add another wing player to their bench, with the Lakers‘ Lou Williams and the Nets‘ Bojan Bogdanovic as possibilities. Wojnarowski says Washington is willing to part with a draft pick to get veteran help.
- The Suns have been shopping P.J. Tucker, Tyson Chandler and Brandon Knight, hoping to get picks or young players in return.
- Chandler is one of several centers on the market, along with the Sixers‘ Jahlil Okafor, the Mavericks‘ Andrew Bogut, the Bucks‘ Greg Monroe and the Nets‘ Brook Lopez. However, there is limited interest in back-to-the basket centers. Wojnarowski speculates that one or two of them may be traded this week, but cautions that there aren’t enough buyers for all of them to be moved.
- Unless something changes, Carmelo Anthony will remain with the Knicks. New York management hasn’t presented him with any deals that would tempt him to waive his no-trade clause. Most of the teams that were interested in dealing for Anthony are now “looking in other directions,” but Wojnarowski thinks the Clippers might revisit their attempt to land Anthony this summer.
Multiple Teams View Derrick Rose As Trade Target
With the Knicks having slipped to 12th in the Eastern Conference, the team will have to decide during the All-Star break whether to look ahead to the future or to push for a playoff spot. According to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, multiple teams around the NBA view Derrick Rose as a potential trade target if the Knicks do decide to sell.
Rose, 28, isn’t the same player he was earlier in his career when he won the MVP award — as Begley writes, the veteran point guard hasn’t been all that effective as a defender or a distributor. Still, Rose has averaged 17.7 PPG with his best shooting percentage (46.2%) since 2009/10, and has shown he still excels at penetrating the lane.
While Rose may draw interest from a few teams, it would be tricky to find a deal that works for both the Knicks and a trade partner. Rose is earning more than $21.3MM this season, so over-the-cap teams looking to acquire him would have to be willing to part with one or two substantial contracts of their own. Meanwhile, the Knicks will have some cap room this summer when Rose comes off the books, so they won’t want to take back long-term salary unless they get a player that can become part of the team’s long-term plans.
Although they haven’t given up on the postseason yet, the Knicks figure to get some calls about Rose in the coming days and it would make sense for the team to listen. Phil Jackson and the front office reportedly want to build the roster around Kristaps Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez, and while Carmelo Anthony‘s no-trade clause figures to prevent the club from moving him, Rose doesn’t have that same ability to veto a deal.
Oakley Doesn't See Feud With Dolan Ending
- Charles Oakley doubts his issues with Knicks owner James Dolan will ever be resolved, Newsday’s Jim Baumbach relays via a Sports Illustrated interview. Despite a meeting with commissioner Adam Silver and Dolan earlier this week, Oakley is still fuming over his forcible removal from Madison Square Garden and arrest on February 8th. “My life is going to change a lot because it’s just like getting a DUI sometime or going to jail for murder,” he told SI. “It’s something on my record. If you Google my name, it’s going to come up. And that hurts.”
Knicks Notes: Green, Dolan, Anthony, Rose
The Warriors’ Draymond Green is the latest player to suggest that the turmoil surrounding the Knicks will keep free agents away, relays Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Green was especially critical of James Dolan for last week’s altercation with Charles Oakley, saying the team owner has a “slave master mentality” toward the former player. “When you look at what’s going on now with the [Carmelo Anthony] situation in their organization and now how you do a legend in Charles Oakley, I don’t know a free agent that would want to go there,” Green said. “I don’t know someone who would really want to go there.” Green also blasted Dolan for suggesting that Oakley has a problem with drinking or anger management.
There’s more tonight out of New York:
- Anthony offers a different opinion, saying he believes the Knicks can overcome their off-court problems and improve through free agency, relays Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. “I think the way the deals are structured now, even if you don’t want to come there’s an opportunity for you to make more money,” Anthony said. “A lot of times players look at that, that kind of overshadows other situations.”
- Point guard Derrick Rose is headed toward free agency, but he says money won’t be the determining factor in where he signs his next contract, Bondy writes in a separate piece. Rose watched huge deals being handed out last offseason, but claims that isn’t what motivates him. “I always been driven by playing basketball and wanting to be the best,” he said. “… You see numbers, you can’t look over them. But I’m just happy that I have an opportunity for them to see how I perform and let them see what I’m worth.” Rose adds that he hasn’t talked to team president Phil Jackson or GM Steve Mills about a possible trade or his long-term future in New York.
- Anthony has been chosen to replace Kevin Love in the All-Star Game, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. It will be his eighth straight All-Star appearance and his 10th overall.
Knicks Notes: Oakley, Roster, Carmelo
It’s been an eventful week for Charles Oakley, who was arrested at a Knicks game last Wednesday, and was subsequently banned from attending future games at Madison Square Garden. According to an ESPN report, the Knicks have since lifted Oakley’s ban, but the former All-Star is in no rush to attend another game as James Dolan‘s guest. Instead, he’d like an apology from the organization.
“It’s not about being at the Garden,” Oakley said. “It’s about the fans. … I love the fans in New York. They’ve been supportive. One of the things I told the commissioner, I want to have a press conference and I want him to apologize to me and the fans.”
Per ESPN’s report, along with Oakley’s comments to Dan Le Batard and Jeff Goodman, Dolan has apologized privately, and Oakley’s camp and the Knicks have discussed the possibility of having a “Charles Oakley Day” at MSG. However, that seems unlikely to happen anytime soon, since Oakley isn’t quite ready to forgive and forget, as he told Le Batard: “Some things hurt. Some things just don’t walk away. A dog who broke his leg isn’t just going to walk away.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- While the Knicks have been at the center of several trade rumors this season, head coach Jeff Hornacek is heading into the All-Star break expecting to start the second half without any real roster changes, per Mike Vorkunov of The New York Times. “I think this is going to be our team,” Hornacek said. “We have had good stretches, bad stretches; we are trying to build something here before we go into the break, so I anticipate we have the same team.”
- Asked again today about his no-trade clause, Carmelo Anthony said he hasn’t thought about it lately, since management hasn’t talked to him about any potential deals (Twitter link via Ian Begley of ESPN.com).
- The Knicks are stuck in the NBA’s version of no-man’s land, and aren’t working toward a clear destination, writes Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders. According to Beer, New York doesn’t necessarily have to make major changes this month, but will have to decide this summer whether to remain in win-now mode or to take a step backward and commit to a rebuild.
- Earlier today, we passed along a Forbes report which indicated that the Knicks remain the NBA’s most valuable franchise. Forbes placed a valuation of $3.3 billion on the team.
Knicks, Lakers Top Forbes’ NBA Franchise Valuations
The Knicks have been one of the NBA’s most dysfunctional teams this season. On the court, the team has gone just 23-33, with $72MM man Joakim Noah failing to make a significant impact, and Jeff Hornacek and Phil Jackson not always on the same page when it came to the use of the triangle. Off the court, things have been even worse, with Jackson criticizing star forward Carmelo Anthony, and owner James Dolan at odds with former Knicks star Charles Oakley.
On the west coast, the Lakers haven’t been much better, racking up a 19-38 record, good for the No. 14 seed in the West. The team hasn’t made as many off-court headlines, but the structure of the front office is currently up in the air, with new advisor Magic Johnson publicly declaring that he wants to be the one calling the shots on roster decisions.
Despite the problems in New York and Los Angeles, the Knicks and Lakers remain the NBA’s two most valuable franchises, according to a report from Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes. The Knicks and Lakers are the only teams valued at more than $3 billion by Forbes.
Team valuations are up around the league, with the Warriors leading the way among this year’s increases — according to Forbes, the Dubs are 37% more valuable that they were at this time in 2016. In total, 18 teams have a valuation exceeding $1 billion, which is up from 13 teams last year and just three teams in 2015. The average NBA franchise is now worth $1.36 billion, according to the report.
Here’s the full list of NBA franchise valuations, per Forbes:
- New York Knicks: $3.3 billion
- Los Angeles Lakers: $3 billion
- Golden State Warriors: $2.6 billion
- Chicago Bulls: $2.5 billion
- Boston Celtics: $2.2 billion
- Los Angeles Clippers; $2 billion
- Brooklyn Nets: $1.8 billion
- Houston Rockets: $1.65 billion
- Dallas Mavericks: $1.45 billion
- Miami Heat: $1.35 billion
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $1.2 billion
- San Antonio Spurs: $1.175 billion
- Toronto Raptors: $1.125 billion
- Phoenix Suns: $1.1 billion
- Sacramento Kings: $1.075 billion
- Portland Trail Blazers: $1.05 billion
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $1.025 billion
- Washington Wizards: $1 billion
- Orlando Magic: $920MM
- Utah Jazz: $910MM
- Detroit Pistons: $900MM
- Denver Nuggets: $890MM
- Atlanta Hawks: $885MM
- Indiana Pacers: $880MM
- Philadelphia 76ers: $800MM
- Memphis Grizzlies: $790MM
- Milwaukee Bucks: $785MM
- Charlotte Hornets: $780MM
- Minnesota Timberwolves: $770MM
- New Orleans Pelicans: $750MM
For comparison’s sake, Forbes’ 2016 valuations can be found right here.
Knicks Notes: Anthony, Hernangomez, Noah, Oakley, Dolan
Bobby Marks of The Vertical covered the Knicks in his trade deadline preview series. The Knicks, Marks writes, are a big market team dealing with adversity (to put it lightly). Marks explains the ways in which the Knicks have limited assets on paper; both Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings are on expiring contracts, and Courtney Lee will gain trade value over the summer, due to a weak shooting guard free agent class. Joakim Noah‘s expensive, long-term deal won’t attract suitors, and the team’s younger assets- Kristaps Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez– aren’t thought to be available.
Trading Carmelo Anthony will be a “serious challenge” for the Knicks front office, who need to decide whether Anthony’s value would grow over the offseason. Marks put together a hypothetical trade that would work financially for all parties, in which Anthony would be dealt to the Clippers in exchange for Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers, and Wesley Johnson. Of course, any deal involving Anthony would require the nine-time All-Star waiving his no-trade clause.
More from The Mecca…
- Magic Johnson revealed on CBS This Morning that he’s had opportunities to “run the Knicks,” according to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times. Johnson specified that he’s had four offers to run or own teams, including the Knicks, before he joined the Lakers as a basketball and business adviser.
- Knicks president Phil Jackson views Hernangomez and Porzingis as the team’s “starting frontcourt tandem of the future,” according to a report from Marc Berman of the New York Post. While coach Jeff Hornacek has still discussed starting Noah when he returns from injury, the team’s frontcourt plans could change if Hernangomez maintains his stellar performance.
- Anthony has no qualms with being snubbed from the 2016/17 All-Star roster, citing the need to “just get away from everything.” “I could utilize this break,” Anthony said. “If they call me, I’d consider it, but I would love to utilize this break.” Anthony, who wouldn’t entertain trade talks with Fred Kerber of the New York Post, discussed the honor of passing Charles Barkley on the NBA’s all-time scoring list (23,775).
- NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement today, calling the Charles Oakley/James Dolan situation “beyond disheartening.” According to Frank Isola of the Daily News, Silver and Michael Jordan conducted a conference call with Oakley and Dolan in an attempt to resolve their feud. “Both Mr. Oakley and Mr. Dolan were apologetic about the incident and subsequent comments, and their negative impact on the Knicks organization and the NBA,” Silver said. “I appreciate the efforts of Mr. Dolan, Mr. Oakley, and Mr. Jordan to work towards a resolution of this matter.”
Trade Deadline Outlook: Atlantic Division
In the days leading up to the February 23 trade deadline, Hoops Rumors will be taking a closer look at each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. We’ll be identifying each team as a buyer, seller, or something in between, and discussing which teams and players are most likely to be involved in deals this month. Today, we’re examining the Atlantic.
Buyers:
Two Atlantic teams currently hold top-four spots in the Eastern Conference, and both the Celtics (35-19) and Raptors (32-23) are in great position to strengthen their rosters at this year’s deadline.
Boston, in particular, is loaded with trade assets, including a handful of extra first-round picks. While there are several teams around the league holding additional draft picks, none have the upside that the Celtics’ selections do. The C’s have the right to swap picks with Brooklyn this season, and hold the Nets’ 2018 pick outright, and no NBA team has a worse 2016/17 record that the Nets. If any club wants to make a superstar available, a logical first step would be to give Danny Ainge a call and ask about those two Brooklyn picks, either of which would be a great starting point for any trade package.
The Raptors, meanwhile, don’t have quite the stash of draft picks that Boston does, but Toronto holds a couple extra future first-rounders, and is also carrying several intriguing young players on its roster. Guys like Delon Wright and Bruno Caboclo should be available, and in the right deal, perhaps the Raps would be willing to include a rotation player like Terrence Ross, Norman Powell, Lucas Nogueira, or even Jonas Valanciunas. Although they’ve struggled lately, the Raptors took Cleveland to six games in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, and adding an impact power forward would make their roster even more dangerous.Read more
Circus-Like Atmosphere Will Discourage Free Agents
- The controversies swirling around the Knicks will make it more difficult for them to attract impact free agents, Al Iannazzone of Newsday argues. New York already struck out in its attempts to land top free agents in past summers and the circus-like atmosphere will only hinder its future efforts, especially since owner James Dolan seems committed to have team president Phil Jackson finish out his contract, Iannazzone continues. Rather than focusing on trying to trade Carmelo Anthony, Jackson should look to move pending free agents Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings, as well as expendable big man Kyle O’Quinn, before the trade deadline, Iannazzone adds.