NBA Trade Rumors: Could Carmelo Anthony To Cavs Happen?
Welcome to another edition of NBA trade rumors, and this one might happen with Carmelo Anthony being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the reigning NBA champions had a losing record in January.
The Cavs do need some help, and to be honest, maybe for their sake, an NBA trade rumor for Anthony might be what the Cavs need, because their current roster of LeBron James and company isn’t running as smoothly as it needs to be.
One NBA veteran writer — Terry Pluto of Cleveland Plain Dealer — says a Cavs trade for Anthony might not be too far out of the question, especially if Anthony’s current team, the New York Knicks, is interested in Kevin Love. In his potential Cavs trade talk, Pluto wrote the following.
“The New York Knicks want to trade Anthony for Love. If I’m running the Knicks, I’d trade Anthony for Love. Anthony will be 33 on May 29. He has two more years and about $57 million left on his contract.”
At first thought, a trade like this is a head scratcher, but the more thought that is put into it, for where the Cavs are with their current roster, maybe a new potential “Big Three” of James, Kyrie Irving, and Carmelo Anthony could be an improvement over the current one that has Love instead of Anthony.
Melo takes on a slightly different approach. ?https://t.co/vi2A4BSX2K
— Cavs Nation (@CavsNationCP) February 1, 2017
Looking at their stats, Anthony this season averages 23 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. In his past 10 games, all of this while being involved in NBA trade rumors, Anthony is playing above his average at 26.8 ppg. As for Love, he averages 19.9 ppg and 11 rpg. Love, in his past 10 games, is averaging 12.6 ppg with 12.6 rpg.
As Pluto stated in his article, a plus for the Knicks making a trade with the Cavs is the ages of both Anthony and Love; while the Knicks would be trading a player in Anthony in the second half of his career, Love is still in his prime. The problem with Love and the Cavs is, though he helped them to the NBA championship last season, he’s never seemed to mesh with the organization as one would have hoped.
On the other hand, for the Cavs, this trade would be for their “win-now” mentality as Anthony has been in the NBA as long as James has. On the flip side, James and Anthony have instant chemistry if they were to join together on the Cavs roster.
.@kporzee says development as @nyknicks star would be tougher without @carmeloanthony https://t.co/xPKviIQmnL pic.twitter.com/5peXeqHfYW
— NY Daily News Sports (@NYDNSports) February 2, 2017
Though this trade would help the Knicks, the question is would it hurt them too? Not with their chances of winning anything this season, but for the development of their young players? Stefan Bondy of the NY Daily News recently wrote about how Kristaps Porzingis believes it would “hurt his development” if Anthony were to be involved in a trade. The Anthony trade article quoted Porzingis as saying the following.
“I think it would make life harder for me on the court (if Anthony was traded). He makes stuff easier for me.”
That too is something for the Knicks to think about if they are serious about trading Anthony, even if it isn’t to the Cavs. As much as it seems the Knicks want to eventually part ways with their superstar player in Anthony, he still brings valuable experience to the court. The younger players of the Knicks aren’t ready to be leaders on the court just yet, so a veteran player like Anthony does them well in that regard.
Knowing the Knicks aren’t going to win the Eastern Conference this season, and with Anthony not getting any younger, he needs a change of scenery, and playing with the Cavs just might be the best trade to make, not just for him, but for the Cavs this season as well. So could this trade happen? It is a possibility, but Anthony and everyone else will have to leave their ego at the door and realize the Cavs are still LeBron’s team, and what he says, goes.
[Featured Image by Al Bello/Getty Images]
