![Carmelo Anthony Nov 2013 [Image by Keith Allison|Wikimedia Commons| Cropped | CC BY-SA 2.0 ]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/9/23/660x290/b_502x220x82/carmelo-anthony-nov-2013-image-by-keith-allisonwikimedia-commons-cropped-cc-by-sa-20_1588691.jpg "Carmelo Anthony Nov 2013 [Image by Keith Allison|Wikimedia Commons| Cropped | CC BY-SA 2.0 ]")
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the New York Knicks have finally managed to strike a deal to trade away star small forward Carmelo Anthony. This comes only a day after the noted the NBA scoopmaster reported that Anthony was willing to waive his no-trade clause for other teams besides the Houston Rockets, as the two sides were having difficulty coming to a deal.
Where did Anthony get traded?
Wojnarowski reported that the Knicks have agreed to send Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for big man Enes Kanter, small forward Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-pick via the Chicago Bulls.
He also reported that the deal had been completed and the trade will officially take place on Monday, meaning Carmelo got his wish to be traded before training camp, which starts on Tuesday.
League sources also say that Anthony will report to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday for the start of training camp. Wojnarowski also reported that Carmelo would be waiving his $8.1 million trade kicker to make the deal work.
What does Carmelo bring to the Thunder?
By adding Carmelo's two-year, $54 million contract, the Oklahoma City Thunder are now taking on an extra $12.4 million in luxury tax, raising their tax bill to $27.9 million according to ESPN's Bobby Marks. However, these numbers do not matter as the Thunder have now assembled a team they strongly believe can compete with the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs in the West.
League sources told Wojnarowski that reigning MVP Russell Westbrook and recently acquired All-Star Paul George played a huge role in getting Carmelo to waive his no-trade clause to join the Thunder. Now Oklahoma City, who finished last season 6th in the West (47-35) have added the pieces to make a big jump forward.
What does this mean for the Knicks?
By finally trading Carmelo Anthony the Knicks can now truly put all of this drama behind them and focus on rebuilding their team around a young core of Kristaps Porzinigs, Frank Ntilikina, and Willy Hernangomez. They also shed Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings, and Sasha Vujacic, although they are stuck with Joakim Noah's awful contract.
Enes Kanter is only 25 and has two-year left on his deal, providing scoring and rebounds off the bench or maybe as a starter. McDermott is also 25 and is a restricted free agent after this year. He should provide solid production off the bench for the team.
