Could the Cleveland Cavaliers be building another NBA super team with enough skill and experience to beat the Golden State Warriors next season? Based on the most recent round of NBA trade rumors, it looks possible that LeBron James and company may come back for the 2017-18 season with some major upgrades.
On the surface, adding Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony to the Cavs seems impossible. It turns out that, given the right circumstances, making a deal to bring both NBA stars to LeBron's team might be realistic. If they can make a deal of this proportion work, the Cleveland Plain Dealer says that Wade and Anthony's addition to the Cavs along with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love could be enough talent to win a ring next year.
@cavs would be interested in @DwyaneWade, @CarmeloAnthony, if bought out, per @WindhorstESPN & @ESPNSteinLine. #BananaBoatCrew#VNdesign pic.twitter.com/RUSr7RDbY3
— VN Design (@VNdsgn) June 25, 2017
Dwyane Wade's disappointment
With the surprising Jimmy Butler trade during the NBA Draft, Dwyane Wade is suddenly not so happy in Chicago. And why should he be? Wade wanted to play with Butler and made that clear when he announced that he would pick up his player option, earning him $23.8 million for another year with the Bulls.
After Chicago traded Butler to Minnesota, Dwyane Wade has found himself without any real support. As a 36-year old NBA veteran, Wade has said before that he's not chasing rings.
That doesn't mean that he wants to play for a team that barely managed to win half their games and then gets rid of one of the best players either.
It turns out that with Jimmy Butler's trade, Dwyane Wade may have actually found himself in a good position. Numerous sources have reported that Wade planned to force a buyout of his contract in the case that Butler was traded.
It stands to reason that the Bulls might consider giving Wade what he wants in order to fully start over and properly rebuild the team. After all, the Bulls without Jimmy Butler or Dwyane Wade next season would put them in a prime position to earn a top spot in next year's NBA Draft.
Carmelo Anthony's case
When it comes to Carmelo Anthony, getting him out of New York might be even easier than obtaining Dwyane Wade.
Phil Jackson has already made it clear that he wants to ship Anthony out. Jackson said that the Knicks haven't been winning with Carmelo on the team and, at this point, the only reason that he's still there is the no-trade clause in his contract.
If Carmelo Anthony would agree to be traded to another team, the Knicks would likely ship him on out. It seems that a heavily stacked Cleveland Cavaliers starring Carmelo's close friend LeBron might be the temptation he needs to agree to leave New York.
Buyouts and what it all means
Of course, there will be other teams interested in both players if they get to the point where a buyout is going to happen. The Cleveland Cavaliers would have a leg up on everyone else though, because of Wade and Anthony's close relationship and desire to play with LeBron James.
The Cavs are clearly making moves to improve their team for the coming season. Given the possibility to acquire Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade or possibly both, don't be surprised if the Cavs do try to wait out free agency with the hopes of signing Anthony and Wade for at least one season.
