NBA trade grades: Knicks trade Carmelo Anthony to Thunder
The New York Knicks finally traded Carmelo Anthony and the Oklahoma City Thunder added another scorer to complement Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
Carmelo Anthony has been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to Adrian Wojnarowski who reports the Knicks will receive Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second round draft pick via Chicago. Anthony has reportedly been on the move for much of the offseason, if not much of the last year or so, but it looked like the Houston Rockets would be the team to beat until the Thunder swooped in and made the deal.
Credit Oklahoma City for adding another perimeter player after trading for Paul George earlier this offseason. With reigning MVP Russell Westbrook having two scorers to work with, he won’t have to shoulder the entire load as he did last year when he averaged a triple double for the season.
It was a remarkable feat but Westbrook won’t do that this year. And credit Oklahoma City for doing what they can to win now, especially with George a free agent at the end of the year.
Anthony had to waive his no-trade clause to make the deal work and Woj tweeted Westbrook and George were instrumental in convincing Anthony to do so. They likely didn’t have to persuade him too hard since Anthony has wanted out of New York for some time and because the Thunder have the pieces to challenge for a trip to the Western Conference Finals.
So who came out on the winning end of the Carmelo Anthony trade?
The Thunder received the best player in the trade so they win the trade. They get a high-end scorer who won’t have to be the lead dog and can fit in as the second or third option on the team and work within the offense to get his spots. I think a lot of people forget how good Anthony is because of how bad the Knicks have been. But he can still play and he’s going to be an asset for the Thunder.
Giving up McDermott, who they just acquired in a deadline deal with the Bulls isn’t much of a price to pay and Enes Kanter, while a quality big, is a player that’s expendable when you get an impact scorer like Anthony. Throwing in a second round pick is practically meaningless, so the price wasn’t all that much to acquire a player that may average 25 points per game.
Oklahoma City: A-
The Knicks were hamstrung with what they could get in return for Anthony. He’s long made his desire to leave the Knicks public so they had little to no leverage. McDermott is a bust and now on his third team in the last few months. He’ll help space the floor for Kirstaps Porzingis and Enes Kanter but won’t provide much more.
Kanter is 25 and coming off a year that saw him average 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in only 21.3 minutes per game. With the Knicks, Kanter will play more than 35 minutes per game and should post career-highs across the board. Look for him to average 18-10 this year. The Knicks have a keeper in him and he can form a dynamic frontcourt with Porzingis. They are going to win just as many games without Anthony as they would with him, but now they won’t have to deal with the circus that accompanies him. It’s really a win-win for both teams, but considering the Thunder got the player that will help them win now, they get the slightly higher grade. And I can’t believe that’s all the Knicks could get for a future Hall of Fame player who can still pour 25 in a night.
New York: C
Who do you think won the Knicks-Thunder trade?