Knicks agree to trade Carmelo Anthony to Thunder

Carmelo Anthony got his wish, and now he and his hoodie are headed to Oklahoma City.

Carmelo Anthony has been trying to get out of New York for quite some time now, and the New York Knicks weren’t doing him any favors for the most part. That is until Anthony decided to expand his list of teams he’d waive his no-trade clause for.

Originally Anthony would only go to the Houston Rockets, but after expanding his list to teams that included the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers the Knicks got a deal done quickly.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Oklahoma City is sending Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and Chicago’s 2018 second-round pick to the Knicks for Anthony. The trade call is scheduled for Monday, according to Wojnarowski who also said Anthony will be present for the start of training camp on Tuesday.

The Thunder will also incur an additional $12.4 million in luxury tax making their tax bill $27.8 million this season. Credit goes to Sam Presti and assistant general manager Troy Weaver who recruited Anthony to Syracuse for being so proactive in making a move for Anthony.

Presti seems to have a way with trades. He managed to basically steal Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis from the Magic on draft night. Then he swooped in under everyone’s noses and brought in Paul George this summer.

Paul George and Russell Westbrook were reportedly instrumental in getting Anthony to waive his no-trade clause, and come to OKC. Westbrook had been seen working out with Anthony in L.A., and who knows maybe Westbrook talked him into it.

If the Thunder weren’t title contenders when they brought in George they probably are now. A lineup with Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony is a defensive nightmare for opposing teams. They represent three of the top nine isolation scorers from last year. Points will definitely not be hard to come by for the Thunder this year.

Next: Grading Knicks-Thunder trade of Carmelo Anthony

While the offense won’t struggle the defense won’t suffer either. George is an elite wing defender along with Andre Roberson. Westbrook can be a good defender when he wants to be, but now he doesn’t have to carry all of the offensive weight this season. Throw in Steven Adams, and you have a team that can get it done offensively and defensively.

There was a feeling that this was just one stop on the to the Lakers for George, but now if Westbrook signs his extension, and Melo under contract through the 2018-19 season. Maybe George signs one of those two-year deals with an option in the second season.

Oh, by the way, the Thunder play the Knicks on opening night.