New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony has stated this offseason that he will waive his no-trade clause for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Houston Rockets. However, rumors have spread early this week that the Oklahoma City Thunder could potentially be a third option for Melo as the Knicks have failed to work out a deal with both the Rockets and Cavs.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have already pulled off an unexpected blockbuster trade for an all-star player in Paul George. The move was to provide their reigning MVP, Russell Westbrook, with the necessary firepower to become a stronger contender for an NBA title.
Although OKC has added another star in George, they still don't have enough weapons to take out the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
Carmelo Anthony has had it rough, failing to make the playoffs over the last several seasons with the Knicks. The franchise has struggled to find the proper staff and players to surround Melo with to be a real contender. As a result, Melo has now become fed up with the direction of the team and wants a change of scenery. Many believe the best move for him would have been to join Lebron James and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland.
However, Irving himself has recently requested a trade from the Cavaliers and wants to join another team where he can reportedly play a larger role.
The Rockets, unfortunately, don't seem to have the proper pieces to offer the Knicks in return for Anthony and that has placed any trade deals between both organizations on hold.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have many young assets on their team that could benefit the Knicks a lot in the future, which they claim they are looking for in return for Melo.
Placing great perimeter shooters like Melo and Paul George around a player like Westbrook can certainly put up a huge challenge for the Golden State Warriors in a seven game series.
Melo is coming off a season where he averaged 22.4 points per game. George made his fourth all-star appearance while averaging 23.7 points and shot a career-high 46% from the floor.
Westbrook, of course, became the first player since Oscar Robertson during the 1961-62 NBA season, to average a triple-double for an entire season.
This past season, Westbrook led the Thunder to a sixth-place seed in the Western Conference. Not many critics believed that OKC would even be a playoff team after the departure of superstar forward, Kevin Durant last summer. But Russell took his game to another level and became the leader he needed to be.
Melo has a few more competitive seasons in him and can still compete at a high-level to help a team like OKC finally win an NBA title. If the deal were to go through, Anthony will be in the best position he's been throughout his entire career to win a championship.
