NBA Trade Rumors: Carmelo Anthony In Three-Way Swap, Plus Rajon Rondo To Knicks?

NBA trade rumors making the rounds this week continue to see the New York Knicks looking to bolster their on-court presence in order to help star player Carmelo Anthony, with a bevy of potential candidates under consideration.

The question, according to many NBA experts, is whether or not the 32-year-old small forward Anthony, who technically would have to approve any trade made for him due to his no-trade clause with the Knicks, will still be with the team once those changes are made.

Publicly, at least, Carmelo Anthony is pulling for some truth to the NBA trade rumors that the Knicks are interested in adding Bulls’ 30-year-old point guard Rajon Rondo to give him some assistance on the court.

The Knicks, who are just 17-21 and out of the NBA playoffs in eleventh place in the Eastern Conference, could certainly use the help that Rondo would immediately bring to the table.

The often at conflict Rondo, meanwhile, would likely benefit from a new start on another major-market NBA franchise.

Rondo was suspended by the Bulls in December for “conduct detrimental to the team” and has remained in conflict with members of Bulls’ management since that time. Rajon entered 2017 with a nasty five-game “DNP – Coach’s Decision” tag in which he was designated to not play a single minute with the team.

Ironically enough, as SB Nation noted, Rondo even sat for a recent promotional home game that the Chicago Bulls called “Rajon Rondo Bobblehead Night.”

It's Rajon Rondo bobblehead night at United Center. This might be his only moment out of warmup togs, though, vs. OKC. pic.twitter.com/IO1COFNvQW

— Steve Aschburner (@AschNBA) January 9, 2017

Clearly, the Bulls’ organization could benefit from coordinating more with Head Coach Fred Hoiberg.

For his own part, Rajon has to be hoping that the new round of NBA trade rumors might be true, and he is likely looking to stamp his ticket out of the “Windy City.”

Potential Chicago trade partners for this deal have been speculated to include Cleveland in addition to the Knicks.

If Carmelo Anthony gets his way, New York would certainly embrace Bulls’ outcast Rondo as one of their own. Part of the issue for Knicks fans, however, is that Carmelo Anthony is rumored to be leaving town himself.

Carmelo, who has been the subject of trade rumors in the NBA now for months, could soon find himself as a new member of the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers or Chicago Bulls come time for the NBA playoffs, according to various league sources.

One NBA trade rumors scenario, per the Inquisitr, would see Carmelo Anthony included as part of a three-way deal with the Bulls and Boston Celtics, with the Bulls to get Anthony, the Celtics to receive Chicago’s Jimmy Butler, and the Knicks getting Jae Crowder as compensation.

Were this deal to pan out, Anthony would find himself as part of a mildly revamped Bulls’ backfield that may or may not include the previously mentioned Rajon Rondo. Certainly, as the two men have each expressed desire to share the court with the other at some point, it could become a case where the first man to jump teams might make the other lobby to stay put.

Another of the prominent NBA trade rumors making its rounds is that Carmelo Anthony could find himself on the roster of the reigning and defending NBA champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Anthony, who would no doubt relish the opportunity to play on the talented team alongside consensus league MVP LeBron James, would instantly become part of an organization with an undoubted winning mentality, and the potential to allow him to hoist his first Larry O’Brien NBA championship trophy.

This scenario, no doubt, would leave the former Denver Nugget and current Knicks’ player salivating at the chance to finally just be a strong contributor to a team without being relied upon to be the team’s only star player.

And that prospect, regardless of what moves are made during the rest of the NBA season, is likely a driving factor for Carmelo Anthony moving forward.

What do you make of these NBA trade rumors?

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