Cedi Osman may be part of Carmelo Anthony trade
Cedi Osman may find himself being part of a trade package to bring Carmelo Anthony to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
According to basketball insider Sam Amico, Cedi Osman may be a part of the trade package that lands Carmelo Anthony with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"“Despite some speculation, the Cavs are unlikely to include power forward Kevin Love in a trade for Anthony. Instead, previous discussions about Anthony have centered around Cavs bench players and possibly draft-and-stash prospect Cedi Osman, sources told Amico Hoops.”"
Osman, the 22-year-old forward from Anadolu Efes has had a number of teams interested in him, as the San Antonio Spurs were interested in acquiring him from the Cavs as well. With the current trend of the NBA, which is becoming more like the Euroleague in terms of the heavy ball-movement, Osman has found himself being a rather coveted player given his age and lack of NBA experience.
He’s a high energy player who plays both tenacious and sound defense while showing the ability to shoot the three-ball, score from the post and attack the rim in straight-line drives. He’s also shown the ability to be a pick-and-roll ballhandler in his time with the Turkish Basketball League.
Osman’s name is also particularly interesting because he’s a prospect who former general manager David Griffin compared to Goran Dragic as a person, a player who Griffin said he sees as a son, according to Fear The Sword.
"“When we’ve drafted Goran Dragic in Phoenix he was like my son. This kid is that type of human being. He’s that good of a kid, and about the right things.”"
Griffin had a phone interview with the New York Knicks last weekend and is expected to have a face-to-face meeting with him in a few weeks, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
When considering that Griffin may indeed be the Knicks’ next president of basketball operations and replace Phil Jackson, who ruffled a lot of feathers during his time in New York, Channing Frye and Iman Shumpert are two other players whose names will be important in considering what the trade package will be for Anthony.
Griffin, who never had interest in trading for Anthony (per basketball insider Sam Amico), is sure to want Anthony off the team. He is, however, fond of Frye. He also considered Iman Shumpert to be the headliner of the trade that brought he and J.R. Smith to Cleveland, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. To that point, the trade is made simpler if a third team doesn’t have to be involved to take Shumpert’s contract; Jackson traded Shumpert away, so he wouldn’t accept him back in a trade.
With that said, the Cavs would be giving the Knicks three players that their new leading front office executive likes for one that they’re trying to move past. If they were to include Richard Jefferson, who is one of Frye’s good friends and who may retire in the offseason, the Cavs could match Anthony’s salary with ease.
In all, the Knicks would get a young prospect in Osman; a veteran guard in Shumpert; a sharpshooting big man who is on the final year of his contract in Frye; and a decent small-forward on a cheap contract in Jefferson. Each of those players would also be a positive influence for Kristaps Porzingis and bring their championship pedigree to the Knicks to teach their young players what it takes to take the next forward as a franchise.
While parting with a future first-round pick (not next year’s) may also be needed, as Osman is likely to be the only player under contract with the team past the 2018-2019 season, the Cavs concern is the present.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the verge of entering a season as the favorites to go the NBA Finals for the fourth straight time. With Anthony, the Cavs would have more upper echelon talent than ever before.