Who won and lost in the Carmelo Anthony trade?

Loser: Any semblance of balance between the Eastern and Western Conferences

Carmelo Anthony joins fellow newcomer to the Thunder, Paul George, as a member of the Eastern conference who will move west.

Anthony, George, Jimmy Butler and Paul Millsap are four former Eastern Conference All-Stars. All of them now play in the Western Conference. This Carmelo Anthony trade pulled yet another star into a stacked Western Conference.

While the Western Conference is stacking up to go to battle with the champion Warriors, the East is taking a different direction. Adding the Knicks to the list, it seems like more teams will be tanking than fighting for a playoff spot. The Celtics, Cavaliers, Wizards, and Raptors look like locks. Outside of that four, the playoff seeding will be a wild finish.

There are obviously bad teams in the west, and some of these teams will underperform. However, the talent disparity between the two conferences has never been so drastic. Even before the Anthony deal, people were discussing how hard it is for western players to make the All-Star team while the east may struggle to find enough worthy candidates.

Oklahoma City has pushed themselves towards the top of a loaded Western Conference while the Knicks have decided to take a measured step back.