Carmelo Anthony Won the Battle with Phil Jackson, But Lost the War. Now, He Wants a Trade to Houston or Cleveland
By Jason McIntyre
Carmelo Anthony is 33. Hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2013. He did average 22 points a game last season, but he’s on the back nine of his NBA career.
After a defeating Phi Jackson in a memorable, years-long battle, Carmelo Anthony is ready to move on: He’s willing to waive his “no-trade” clause … if the Knicks can get him to the Cavs or the Rockets, according to ESPN.
Hmmmm.
It won’t be easy. Neither Houston nor Cleveland has assets, and neither has any favorable contracts the Knicks could take back to help with the multi-year rebuild that is ahead. According to Woj, the Knicks don’t want Ryan Anderson (smart!), and I’d guess the only name with a short deal that looks remotely attractive on those two teams is Iman Shumpert.
A 3rd team would almost certainly have to get involved, but even then, who is going to want to help LeBron, Daryl Morey, Carmelo Anthony or James Dolan?
The guess here: The Knicks have no success trading one of the 10 best players in franchise history. He’s due $54 million over the next two years, but New York will end up buying out Carmelo Anthony to end this nightmare, so the franchise can move on.