This NBA off-season has been full of surprises when it comes to trades.
From guard Jimmy Butler being sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night, guard Chris Paul going to the Houston Rockets, forward Paul George heading to the Oklahoma City Thunder, to Kyrie Irving forcing his way out of the Cleveland Cavaliers it’s been an eventful summer. Now as training camps are about to start another move has gone down.
The latest blockbuster comes in the form of forward Carmelo Anthony being traded from the New York Knicks to the Thunder in exchange for forward/center Enes Kanter, guard Doug McDermott, and a future second round pick. The trade was first reported by Adrian Wojranowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Vertical.
This comes hours after Wojranowski reported that Anthony expanded his list of desired trade landings to include the Thunder and Cavaliers.
This trade ends a year-plus saga between the Knicks and Anthony that saw the relationship deteriorate under the helm of the team’s then top executive Phil Jackson. After the 2016-17 season ended Anthony made it known that he was willing to waive his no-trade clause in his current contract to facilitate a trade with the Rockets. Trade talks between the teams stalled when New York named Scott Perry their new general manager, as he tried to mend fences with Anthony, but the damage was already done.
For the Thunder, this trade not only adds another perennial All-Star in Anthony but it also get the team out of a long-term contract with Kanter that didn’t look good, in addition to getting out of the contract they gave to guard Victor Oladipo in the George trade. For the Knicks, the team avoids a cloud of drama that would’ve surrounded training camp, even if the pieces the team got back for Anthony don’t seem to add up in basketball value.