A Carmelo Anthony trade has been imminent since the trade deadline. Even former Knicks president of basketball operations, Phil Jackson, hinted that Anthony would be better off playing elsewhere. Although the organization most recently fired Jackson, they remain intent on trading their star player, or maybe even buying him out.
A buyout would be very tricky, as it would require plenty of time and negotiating. To trade Anthony, the 10-time All-Star must agree to waive his no-trade clause, which he may finally agree to do.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Anthony is willing to waive his no-trade clause for the Houston Rockets or Cleveland Cavaliers.
While the Cavaliers have been in hot pursuit of Anthony since the trade deadline, most likely offering Kevin Love, the Rockets most recently became candidates because they acquired Chris Paul. The Rockets would have to most likely offer Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson to attain Anthony to form a super team of their own.
How Anthony would fit in Cleveland
If the Cavaliers give up Love for Anthony, it probably won’t solve much for Cleveland. Anthony has been known as a player that loves to isolate and take around 20 shots per game. In Cleveland, he would have to sacrifice a lot, essentially transforming into a spot-up shooter, which seems unlikely to happen.
Anthony would not thrive being just a spot up shooter and would not accept the idea of getting fewer touches and shots.
Although Anthony has adequately fit in during the Olympics by becoming a spot-up shooter, the level of competition has never been high. At an NBA level, Anthony would struggle if he had to change his style of play.
How would Carmelo fit in Houston?
Just like in Cleveland, Anthony would have to sacrifice tremendously in Houston.
Both Paul and James Harden love to dominate the ball. Adding a third player that wants to dominate the ball is going to cause plenty of problems. There would be too many mouths to feed, and egos would collide, thus destroying team chemistry. Also, let’s not forget that Mike D’Antoni coached Anthony in New York, and it did not go too well.
It’s understandable that teams would want a big-time star like Anthony, who is known as a prolific scorer, but team chemistry is far too important. Sometimes too much talent doesn’t solve anything, rather than destroys a team. Both the Rockets and Cavaliers have to be cautious if they want to acquire a major talent like Anthony.
