Report: Cavaliers, Thunder Among Carmelo Anthony’s Preferred Trade Destinations
September 23, 2017 by admin
Filed under Latest Lingerie News
Carmelo Anthony has given the Knicks an expanded list of his preferred trade destinations that includes the Cleveland Cavaliers, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
ESPN’s Ian Begley is reporting that another team on the list is the Oklahoma City Thunder, which acquired all-star Paul George in a trade this offseason.
Anthony has been pushing the Knicks brass to be aggressive in pursuing a trade before the season starts, and his number one preference has been a move to the Houston Rockets. But the Knicks have been unable to work out a deal with Houston, who acquired Anthony’s close friend Chris Paul in the offseason, and thus asked Anthony to expand his list of desired trade destinations, per Wojnarowski. Anthony is also close with LeBron James.
One potential holdup in a potential deal with the Cavaliers is Anthony’s contract situation—he has two years and $54 million left on his contract. The last year, which would be the 2018-19 season, is a $27.9 million player option, and James is only under contract for one more season. That opens the possibility of a situation in which Anthony opts into his contract after James has left and the Cavaliers looking to rebuild, though it is also possible that Anthony will want to contend in the final years of his career rather than play for a rebuilding team.
Another trade partner for the Knicks that has been floated around is the Portland Trail Blazers, though it is unclear whether Anthony would accept a trade there.
Anthony, 33, is a ten-time All-Star, but the Knicks are looking to prioritize a rebuild that orients the team toward future success rather than competing in the short-run. The team fired team president Phil Jackson in June and replaced him with Scott Perry, who has said he wants to build around Kristaps Porzingis and the Knicks’ young players.
Despite the ongoing trade requests, Anthony is expected to appear at the Knicks’ media day on Monday.
“Look, Carmelo’s going to be back here,” Perry said Friday at the team’s training facility. “Carmelo has always been a professional. That’s one thing I’ve always respected about him. I think he can set a good example for the young players. He’s been a 10-time All-Star. If he’s back here with the New York Knicks, we expect him to be the professional he’s always exemplified throughout his career and move forward with him.”
Anthony averaged 22.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists on 42.6 percent shooting last season, as the Knicks went 31-51. New York has not reached the playoffs since the 2012-13 season.
