This season, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George join forces with reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder as they try to knock off the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. However, it turns out that both players could have joined a different team in an NBA Draft night trade. According to Bleacher Report, Carmelo just revealed that both he and Geroge were supposed to be traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers until the trade was nixed.
The Cavs trade that never was
Carmelo Anthony was talking to ESPN on SiriusXM radio when he revealed the details of the failed trade.
According to Carmelo. he and Paul George have a close friendship and the two were talking about the trade that would send them to join LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the trade ended up called off on draft night.
The trade, as originally reported, would have the Cleveland Cavaliers receive Paul George while sending Kevin Love to the Denver Nuggets. Gart Harris and the Nuggets No. 13 draft pick would have gone to Indiana to finish the trade. It looks like Carmelo was part of a completely different trade, as the Cavaliers were linked to bringing him in since last season's trade deadline.
The way that Carmelo Anthony talked about it, there seemed to be a chance that he and Paul George were both involved in some sort of trade discussions to bring them in together.
Of course, he might have meant that there were two trades - both nixed - that would have led to them being in Cleveland on draft night.
Instead, Carmelo and PG both ended up with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Other trade options for Carmelo
Before the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off their trades that added PG13 and Carmelo to a starting lineup that already included reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook and defensive stud Steven Adams, the Houston Rockets were trying to get both men.
In his interview with ESPN, Carmelo Anthony said that there was a trade that was in motion to send him to the Houston Rockets. However, Carmelo said that for "some reason," that trade never ended up going through. That could have added Anthony to a Rockets team that already included James Harden and Chris Paul. Now, the Thunder have once again moved ahead of Houston in the Western Conference.
The Rockets-Knicks trade for Carmelo Anthony likely didn't go through because Houston needed to shed a big contract to bring him in and the Knicks were not willing to pick it up. There is no word on why the Cleveland Cavaliers were not able to trade for Carmelo and Paul George.
