New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony will only waive his no-trade clause if he will be joining the Houston Rockets. Initially, the Knicks stopped with the trade talks with the Rockets because they wanted to keep Anthony even after a tumultuous relationship with the player. Now, reports have surfaced saying that Anthony might be joining James Harden soon.
Why the trade talks were stalled
The Knicks and the Rockets reportedly had everything almost figured out regarding the move of Anthony. However, after Phil Jackson left the Knicks and Scott Perry became the New York team’s new general manager, they had second thoughts of wanting to trade Anthony.
Perry, in particular, wanted to keep the veteran in an attempt to use him to help hone the younger roster they were then trying to build.
The trade talks were reportedly renewed on Thursday, and the original plan of involving two other teams has been reduced to just one. It will be a three-team deal among the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, and a third team, which has not been identified yet, The New York Post reported. The three-team deal will allow the Knicks to have players younger than 25 years old. They are set to build the more youthful roster via Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Frank Ntilikina.
It is possible that the trade will take place before the regular season starts, Hoops Hype shared.
Thirty-three-year-old Anthony will most likely start training camp with the Knicks.
Other teams interested in Anthony
The other teams that expressed they want Anthony to join them include the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. Blazers players Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum openly said in an interview that having Anthony in the team would mean a lot to them as he can help them make their way to the playoffs.
Anthony expressed he wanted to be part of the Cavaliers and play alongside LeBron James, but Kyrie Irving refusing to stay with the Cavs might have changed the mind of Anthony as he said he only wanted to be traded to the Houston Rockets.
Experts believe that the Portland Trail Blazers and the Cleveland Cavaliers will probably not be the third team in the three-team deal involving the Knicks and the Rockets.
New Orleans Pelicans’ DeMarcus Cousins also expressed that he wanted to play alongside Anthony again. The two played together for Team USA during the 2016 Olympics. Cousins said that he enjoys the company of Anthony and admires the New York Knicks forward because he's a great player, and playing with him during the Olympics made Cousins better overall.
