1. Trade Carmelo Anthony
The Carmelo Anthony era must come to an end in New York if they ever want to be successful again. Phil Jackson all but said he wanted Anthony out of New York, and although taking it to the media wasn’t the best look, he is right in trying to make the move.
Jackson gave Anthony a five-year max contract extension back in 2014, and included a no-trade clause in the contract. I’m sure Jackson regrets it every day as it essentially gives Anthony all the power until the contract is up. Jackson had numerous attempts to trade him during this past season’s trade deadline, but ultimately failed to.
The Knicks are still reportedly exploring trade possibilities for Anthony, and remain committed to dealing him during the offseason. Trading Anthony would give the Knicks a great amount of financial flexibility, and a shot at either more draft picks or young players they can potentially develop. It would also give Anthony a chance to compete for a title before his career comes to an end, as he wasn’t able to in New York.
Since the year 2000, the Knicks have only won one playoff series, which was back during the 2012-13 season. Although Anthony wasn’t with the Knicks for all of those years, they clearly haven’t been moving in the right direction.
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A team like the Boston Celtics would be an ideal trade partner for the Knicks. Anthony would give the Celtics a scoring forward who could help elevate them to unseat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, and in return the Knicks could receive some of the many draft picks the Celtics own, or young up and coming players who could help them in their rebuilding efforts.