NBA trade rumors: Top 5 destinations for Carmelo Anthony

It’s been no secret that Phil Jackson wants Carmelo Anthony out of New York. Anthony holds the power with a no-trade clause, but here are five teams he may accept a trade to.

Phil Jackson has been publicly bashing Carmelo Anthony since the middle of last season. He has made it perfectly clear that he wants to trade Anthony, but it hasn’t been as easy as he thought it would be. Jackson reportedly almost traded him before the deadline last season, but the deals fell through.

Anthony still possess his great scoring ability, and although he is now 32, he still seems to have a good amount of productive years ahead of him. With that said though, the biggest road block to trading Anthony has been his no-trade clause that is included in his contract. Anthony has been becoming more open to being traded, but he will seemingly only waive his no-trade clause if he is dealt to a potential contender.

It would seem to be beneficial for both Anthony and the New York Knicks if he is traded, but a team would have to offer a significant deal for the 10-time NBA All-Star. The Knicks would benefit from receiving young players that they could potentially build around, and draft picks. While Anthony could benefit from finally being able to make a deep playoff run since his days with the Denver Nuggets.

With the NBA offseason rapidly approaching, here are five teams who Carmelo Anthony may waive his no-trade clause to, and accept a trade.

5. Chicago Bulls

This option may not be highly favorable to some, but it could make sense for both sides. The Chicago Bulls surprisingly gave the Boston Celtics a scare during the 2017 NBA playoffs, by winning the first two games of their series. However, once Rajon Rondo got hurt and couldn’t play anymore, their offense became stagnant.

The Bulls roster did not have much scoring power outside of Jimmy Butler and the aging Dwyane Wade, so adding a player like Anthony would do wonders for their team. With the Bulls planning to bring back Rondo, and Wade potentially opting into his player option, the Bulls could get one more shot at competing in the Eastern Conference.

Having a core nucleus of Butler, Anthony, Wade, and Rondo would certainly be intriguing to see, and would easily allow them to potentially make a playoff run. The Bulls have some assets they could offer such as Nikola Mirotic and Robin Lopez to make this work. Their contracts could offset Anthony’s to cover the financial side of things, and the Knicks could even ask the Bulls to throw in a draft pick.

The Bulls front office elites John Paxson and Gar Forman may be fighting to keep their jobs if they have another mediocre season, so making a block bluster deal like this could certainly help their chances of sticking around. It would also give Phil Jackson two players who could help the Knicks immediately, and a potential young player to develop for the future.