Now that Phil Jackson has essentially confirmed that he is going to trade Carmelo Anthony this summer, we could speculate which team he will be shipped to. In his comments, Jackson mentioned that he wants to send Anthony to a winning team where he could eventually earn a championship ring. Therefore, these four teams would be an ideal landing spot for the 32-year-old superstar.
Here's Phil Jackson on Carmelo Anthony: "I think the direction with our team is that he would be better off somewhere else."
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 14, 2017
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks have never shown interest in Carmelo Anthony, but they could use an offensively gifted small forward star to compliment Paul Millsap, Dwight Howard, and Dennis Schroder.
Atlanta ranks 27th in offensive efficiency, which Anthony could immensely help improve. The Hawks are currently a middle-of-the-pack playoff team and would benefit greatly from acquiring Melo. Best of all, they are a team that thrives on ball movement, so perhaps their system would disallow Anthony from isolating too much.
Boston Celtics
Although the Boston Celtics would much rather attain Chicago’s Jimmy Butler or Indiana’s Paul George, Carmelo Anthony would be a last resort option for them at the small forward position. The Celtics would much rather acquire a two-way player, but they have shown particular interest in Anthony before and would possibly try to obtain him. However, Anthony may not be the finest fit alongside Isaiah Thomas since the 5-foot-9 point guard is also at his best when he dominates the ball.
He could play off the ball as well but only occasionally. He cannot do it the whole time. Nonetheless, Boston may be another team Phil Jackson engages in trade talks.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers were linked to Carmelo Anthony at the deadline and were reportedly offering the New York Knicks a package involving Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford.
The Clippers may be able to acquire Anthony without losing their big three after all, but they will still need to give up a hoard of draft picks and need a third team to help them execute the trade. If they manage to secure Anthony, the big three will quite possibly stay together.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers were another team interested in Carmelo Anthony but did not want to lose Kevin Love in the exchange.
However, they may still try to work something out with the Knicks in the summer to ultimately land Anthony. Cleveland would be the best place for Phil Jackson to ship Carmelo to since they are a championship-caliber team. The difficult part would be establishing a trade that would benefit both sides.
