Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade emerge as buyout options

The Cleveland Cavaliers could wait to sign Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony after a potential buyout.

With the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls deciding to take their time and rebuild, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade have emerged as buyout options for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After the Bulls traded Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves (keeping him away from the Boston Celtics in the process), there was speculation that Wade would opt-out of the last year of his deal. However, Wade is a 35-year-old shooting guard who is in the twilight of his career. There aren’t many teams that would offer him $24 million per season to play for them, as the Bulls did. With that, Wade will and should opt into his contract.

That doesn’t mean that Wade won’t ask for a buyout and join a contender like the Cavs like many players are wont to do at his age and on a team in the middle of a rebuild.

With the Knicks selecting 18-year-old point guard Frank Ntilikina with the eighth pick in the draft rather than re-signing Derrick Rose, and having shown a willingness to trade both Anthony and budding star Kristaps Porzingis, the organization has shown that they too are interested in rebuilding. Anthony has a player option for next year and while he’s earning a hefty amount to play for the Knicks, it’s not improbable that Anthony could demand that type of salary in 2018. With that said, with the possibility of re-upping next summer, the drama and turmoil in New York could finally cause Anthony to say enough is enough and agree to a buyout before or during the 2017-2018 season.

For the Cavs, who missed out on a deal for Butler and stopped their pursuit of George but want to add All-Star caliber talent on the wing, buyouts for Wade and Anthony would be a godsend.

Kevin Love, who has had an up-and-down three years in Cleveland, doesn’t have a high enough trade value, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

In addition, teams used to making deals with former general manager David Griffin are now talking to assistant general manager Koby Altman, who may not have the personal relationships Griffin has around the league which will affect his ability to get deals done. Even if Billups (who is well-liked throughout the league) is hired, the simplest trade acquisition Griffin made may be the three-team trade that resulted in the Knicks sending J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to Cleveland while former Cav Dion Waiters was shipped off to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

While many will point to Griffin’s departure as the reason deals haven’t got done just three weeks into their offseason, the truth is that acquiring new talent was never easy for the Cavs.

Remember that Smith, Shumpert, Channing Frye, Kyle Korver and Mike Dunleavy Jr. were throw-aways for their team. It took the Cavs two first-round picks to acquire Timofey Mozgov. Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut ended up in Cleveland after buyouts and Larry Sanders was in basketball purgatory for two seasons.

Must Read: The startling cost of Cleveland's major trade acquisitions

Teams don’t just give the Cavs a Butler, or George, or even an Anthony. They want to take from the Cavs in the process. Especially considering the inconsistencies of Love and Shumpert, the two Cavs usually tied to trade rumors.

Perhaps it was foolish to think the Cavs would ever get a trade done that would make them better beyond the shadow of a doubt. However, the long game always worked for Griffin and in this instance, the long game could be waiting out LeBron James’ friends, D. Wade and Melo.

While improving their defensive habits is a necessity, the Cavs will have added a duo that averaged a combined 40.7 points per game last season. While Anthony may start, both could come off the bench and give Love, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James the chance to rest while being crafty scorers that could put up more points as a duo than the Cavs’ entire second unit could.

At times, the two could take the place of Smith and Tristan Thompson beside the Big Three and give the Cavs an unstoppable offensive unit full of crafty scorers and playmakers. Like the San Antonio Spurs, they could surprise with their defense despite their age or lack of agility with experience, intelligence and timeliness.

While there will always be a lot of rumors surrounding the franchise, this is one possibility that’s both realistic and beneficial for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s just one that may develop slowly.

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