NBA Draft 2017: 5 players who could be traded on draft night
The NBA Draft is not just about incoming rookies, it’s also a night where veteran players can find themselves moving to a new home. Which players are most likely to get traded on draft night?
The Golden State Warriors capped off the 2016-17 NBA season by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games in the NBA Finals. With that wrapped up, all 30 teams now move on to the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft.
The 2017 draft class has gotten a lot of high praise for the talent at the top and the depth it offers into the second round. June 22, offers teams the first chance to make changes to their roster for next year.
While not every team will have a draft pick to use, the draft is open season for trades.
There have been several big deals consummated during draft night in the past and this year offers the opportunity for a few big name players to switch addresses. Teams are now recalibrating their franchise outlook with the Warriors looking likely to hold onto the title of NBA champions for the foreseeable future.
With the draft less than a week away there are names that stand out more than others as potential trade targets. In the following pages we will look at which five players are the most likely to be dealt during the 2017 NBA Draft.
5. Carmelo Anthony
The New York Knicks BADLY want to move on from Carmelo Anthony. The superstar has worn out his welcome in the Big Apple and Phil Jackson would like nothing more than to clear the tragic contract (and no-trade clause) of Anthony off the books.
For his sake, it feels like Anthony is doing everything in his power to try and outlast Jackson’s stay in New York — which is probably going to be over before 2020 at this rate.
As mentioned above, Anthony holds a no-trade clause in his current deal. That clause essentially ties the Knicks’ hands behind their back in any potential trade discussions. New York knows there are only a certain number of teams that Anthony will accept a trade to. That list is highlighted by Boston, Cleveland and Los Angeles.
The Celtics don’t seem willing yet to make an all-in move to compete against the Cavaliers for Eastern Conference supremacy, so it is a long shot that Boston will even want to talk proposals with the Knicks.
Cleveland is coming off a poor showing in the NBA Finals against the Warriors and everyone is playing keyboard GM and suggesting the team moves on from All-Star Kevin Love. Anthony has long been connected with LeBron James and the Cavaliers, but a move for Anthony wouldn’t bring them any closer to beating the Warriors.
That leaves the Clippers and they could potentially look a lot different during the 2017-18 season as both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are free agents. Still, they make the most sense for a move and without a first round pick they could be looking to make a splash on draft night in another way.
Jackson has talked Anthony’s trade value further and further down and New York will not be able to recoup anything close to equal for Melo in a trade. However, it seems the best move for the two sides is to move on from each other. Anthony can pick whichever team he wants to play for next and the Zen Master is so fed up with his ball-stopping ways that he would willingly take back pennies on the dollar just to rid the team of Anthony.