Carmelo Anthony finally found a new home with the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers were also in play after the all-star forward waived his no-trade clause to both teams.
Curiously, the Cavs seemed like a potent destination. Anthony holds close ties with LeBron James and rumors of the two joining forces was already mentioned before. Things changed when the Cavs were sent into turmoil after Kyrie Irving asked for a trade. When word of that came out, Melo diverted his focus onto the Houston Rockets – the only team for which he was willing to waive that stipulation.
Cavs thumb down Knicks request
The Knicks were getting nowhere with the Rockets, thus adding the Cavs and the Thunder as teams where he would waive the clause. According to Cleveland.com, Anthony could have gotten his chance to team up with James had the Knicks not asked for Tristan Thompson.
Unfortunately, Thompson was someone that the Cavs had no intention of moving. Cleveland was ready to move other players with fat contracts (i.e. Iman Shumpert), but not the 26-year-old. The team already has its share of big man problems and dealing away the rising star would have left the Cavs with more problems than help.
Aside from Thompson, the Knicks reportedly showed interest as well to Cleveland’s two first-round choices for 2018, NBC reported.
Like Thompson, these future assets were also untouchable.
Anthony to OKC best scenario for now
The Cavs and the Knicks failed to hit a deal for Anthony with time running out. The 2017-18 NBA season is fast approaching and all teams are set to hit training camp to prepare.
Anthony is the last notable high-profile name to finally get a team.
He finds himself in good company, joining Russell Westbrook and Paul George. They comprise another “Big Three” out West, a potential contender to the reigning champion Golden State Warriors. The Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers are also no pushovers, making the Western Conference highly competitive and fun to watch.
For the Cavs, one player closely linked to them is Dwyane Wade. After agreeing to a buyout with the Chicago Bulls, a reunion with James lurks as the most likely scenario.
Cavs training camp should be interesting as coach Tyronn Lue looks for more big men to help toughen them up. Cleveland currently has Thompson, Kevin Love, Channing Frye, Ante Zizic and Edy Tavares. To broaden their choices, NBA veteran Kendrick Perkins has been added to the training camp roster according to another report by Cleveland.com. The 32-year-old did suit up for Cleveland in 2015. It remains to be seen if he can make the cut once training camp is over.
