Could The Sacramento Kings Help Facilitate A Carmelo Anthony Trade?
In order for the Cleveland Cavaliers to trade for Carmelo Anthony this season, they’ll need a third team. Could that team be the Sacramento Kings?
The Cleveland Cavaliers may need to call up the Sacramento Kings if they want help trading for New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony.
Unfortunately for the Cavs, there aren’t many teams that are in a position to absorb players into their salary cap space and have players that will provide a suitable return for the New York Knicks. The Brooklyn Nets could possible give up Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The Philadelphia 76ers could give up Jahlil Okafor. However, those trade scenarios are unlikely because the Knicks have a lot of frontcourt depth and they have enough players on the wing who aren’t scorers.
Yet, the Sacramento Kings are a team that can help because they have the type of player that Jackson would like in a return.
They recently traded DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans in a blockbuster move that marks the start of a new Kings’ era. With that being said, the next player that will be traded is Rudy Gay. Gay, who tore his Achilles in January, was planning on opting out of his contract this summer to sign with another team. With his injury, however, it’s more than likely that Gay will stick it out with the Kings for one more season. He’ll have the security of one more year left on his deal and have one more opportunity to boost his market value.
This season, Gay was having one of his best as a pro. He was averaging 18.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor and 37.2 percent from three-point range. A notorious offense, was contributing with 1.5 steals per game on the defensive end.
That’s a player who New York Knicks president Phil Jackson could see emulating Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan as a player. When he returns to the court, he’ll be 31. However, he’s an incredible athlete and even after his injury, Gay will likely be an upper echelon player and scorer for three more years.
In a hypothetical three-team trade scenario between the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings, this is how the trade would play out. The Cleveland Cavaliers would receive Anthony and trade Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson to the Sacramento Kings. The Sacramento Kings would trade Gay and Anthony Tolliver to the New York Knicks.
Why would the Sacramento Kings do it? To continue their rebuild and trade a player with a damaged reputation in Gay for three players with championship pedigrees. This is a trade that changes the Kings’ culture while they try to find another face of the franchise.
Why would the New York Knicks do it? To rid themselves of Carmelo Anthony. They’re not currently in playoff contention, as they’re currently the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference, so there’s no need to cry “tank” although if the Knicks could come away from this trade with draft picks they’d certainly like it. In any case, the Knicks won’t be handcuffed to Gay and Tolliver, as next season will be the final season on both of their contracts.
Why would the Cleveland Cavaliers do it? Because they have players they can replicate what Shumpert and Jefferson bring to the team with DeAndre Liggins and Derrick Williams. It’s also because Anthony averages more points than the three of them combined.
If this trade goes down, though unlikely, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have four open roster spots. One should be reserved for a point guard while the other could be reserved for a rim-protector. The third roster spot could go to a player like Dahntay Jones. The fourth roster spot could be used on another forward.
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Do you think that the Sacramento Kings are a viable option to help the Cleveland Cavaliers acquire Carmelo Anthony? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.