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The Cleveland Cavaliers wisely did not trade for Carmelo Anthony

By Nathan Beighle

CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 23: Carmelo Anthony
CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 23: Carmelo Anthony /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers did not get Carmelo Anthony after being one of the teams on his wishlist, and for now, that’s a good thing.

On September 22, Carmelo Anthony sent out his list of destinations to the public. On September 23, Melo was a no longer on the Knicks. While Melo still has gas left in the tank, the Cleveland Cavaliers wisely shied away from releasing their assets for him.

ESPN’s Knicks’ reporter, Ian Begley,  said:  “Carmelo Anthony was under the impression that a deal to the Cavs was a strong possibility.” Before the trade, Melo had three, possibly four, destinations he wanted to be traded to. Houston and Cleveland seemed to be the obvious choices so that Melo could team up with either Chris Paul or LeBron James who he is good friends with. But, Melo eventually landed in Oklahoma City to play the 2017-2018 season with Russell Westbrook and Paul George.

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 11: Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook attend Black Ops Basketball Session at Life Time Athletic At Sky on September 11, 2017, in New York City. (Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 11: Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook attend Black Ops Basketball Session at Life Time Athletic At Sky on September 11, 2017, in New York City. (Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images) /

While the Cavaliers were on the list and inquired about Carmelo Anthony, they wisely shied away from a trade for the 10x All-Star. For them, it certainly would not be worth giving up their assets. Cedi Osman, the young, Turkish star, was thought to be the centerpiece of a trade that would’ve brought Anthony to the Land. It was also believed that the Knicks would request a first-round pick. They eventually got Doug McDermott, Enes Kanter, and a second-round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The deal that went down seemed to be a good deal for both teams, but the Cavaliers, on the chance that LeBron James leaves this offseason, needed to keep their pick. The Oklahoma City Thunder did not quite have a team that could truly compete with the Golden State Warriors. Now with a big three, the possibility is much higher, although still slim. For the Cavaliers, they have LeBron James, Isaiah Thomas, and Kevin Love. Along with J.R. Smith and Jae Crowder, the Cavaliers did not really need the scoring prowess of Melo.

If the Cavaliers make an upgrade, it should be to somehow boost their incredibly poor defense. Last season, the Cavs ranked 22nd in defensive rating, and that must change if they want to challenge the Warriors for more than five games. While Anthony might have temporarily been seen as a fantastic addition if the Cavaliers had traded for him, in the end, the Cavaliers need more defense, not offense.

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All-in-all, the Cavaliers have done what they’ve had to do this offseason to be considered a contender. They didn’t need Melo and his scoring ability, and it was smart of them to not exhaust their assets for him.