Carmelo Anthony officially lists Cleveland Cavaliers as trade destination
Carmelo Anthony has finally listed the Cleveland Cavaliers as a trade destination.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony has officially expanded his list of trade destinations to include the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Story filed to ESPN: Carmelo Anthony has expanded the list of teams with which he'd accept a trade -- including the Cleveland Cavaliers.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 23, 2017
Anthony has a no-trade clause in his contract that must be waived in order for him to be dealt to another team and there’s been constant speculation that the Cavs were one of the teams that Anthony would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for, primarily because of his relationship with LeBron James – a player who has led the Cleveland Cavaliers to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances and the Heat to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances in the four previous years.
However, no trade scenario seemed to satisfy either team at the time. Then, in a sudden turn of events, the drama and chaos stemming from the Kyrie Irving trade was enough to keep only one team in the mix.
The Houston Rockets.
Now, with the Rockets struggling to find a suitable trade package to obtain Melo, the Cavs and the Oklahoma City Thunder are the other two teams on Anthony’s list.
In a trade for Anthony, many would want to see Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye combined in a trade package for the 10-time All-Star. However, that’s not a move that will help the Knicks.
Likewise, trading Kevin Love or the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round pick would seem to be a move that robbed the Cavs of a valuable asset.
Yes, Love and Anthony would have a lot of overlap in terms of their roles, as both excel as spot-up shooters and mix it up with drives. Anthony is the better isolation player though and his versatility and dynamic scoring would be crucial in breaking the phalanx-like defense of a team like the Golden State Warriors, the Cavs’ rivals and reigning NBA champions. As a result, a trade involving Love would be feasible if unpopular. Especially if Dwyane Wade eventually signs with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
However, Love opens up the floor for James and others to attack the rim like no other player can. That’s why it’s best to keep Love, aside from his basketball IQ, passing ability and dominance on the defensive boards.
The Nets’ pick would be valuable for the Cavs in acquiring either an All-Star player in their prime or the future face of the franchise. The names on this list include DeMarcus Cousins, Russell Westbrook, Michael Porter Jr. and Luka Doncic.
This is an asset the Cavs shouldn’t move for Anthony under any circumstance.
In any case, the Cleveland Cavaliers will look to make a move for Anthony that gets them closer to winning a championship. If the Irving deal is a fair indication of general manager Koby Altman’s negotiating ability, the Cavs have nothing to worry about.
According to Wojnarowski:
"Since the hiring of Scott Perry as general manager in July, New York has changed course on the asking price for Anthony and has been pushing for a return of assets that Houston is unable to provide. Perry has been looking for a scoring wing to replace Anthony’s production, short-term contracts and draft assets, league sources said."
With that said, Shumpert, Frye, rookie Cedi Osman, Edy Tavares and the Cavs’ original first-round pick in 2018 could work for Anthony. Osman, a small forward, just averaged 16.0 points and 3.8 assists per game in EuroBasket competition.