Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors: Could New York Knicks Really Deal Him To Cleveland Cavaliers For Kevin Love?
Carmelo Anthony trade rumors again mention a deal between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. In this latest deal, Anthony would be sent to the Cavaliers in exchange for All-Star power forward Kevin Love. It isn’t the first time a rumor of Anthony joining up with LeBron James has been mentioned during an NBA season, and it likely won’t be the last time either. A report by basketball analyst Steve Kyler addresses whether this is the type of deal that would convince Anthony to waive the no-trade clause in his contract.
So what does Kyler have to say about Anthony and a possible trade to Cleveland? He states it isn’t a scenario that is very likely to take place during the NBA season. While he didn’t rule out the possibility of New York and Cleveland re-visiting this possibility following the 2017 NBA Playoffs, he doesn’t feel that it is something that Anthony is going to seriously consider in-season. The trade itself would work on paper due to the salaries of Anthony and Love, but it might not make either team better on the court.
Many Carmelo Anthony trade rumors have come up due to the continued struggles of the New York Knicks. The Knicks fell to 11th place in the Eastern Conference, three games behind the Chicago Bulls for the No. 8 seed. At 20-26, the season is far from over, with a chance to make up a lot of ground if the Bulls start to trade off pieces like Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade, and Rajon Rondo. The No. 8 seed will have to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first-round of the playoffs, though, which is not where any team in the East wants to begin the postseason.
Anthony is one of the few players in the NBA who has a full no-trade clause built into his contract. This means he gets to decide whether the Knicks can trade him as well as what team he winds up playing for if he leaves New York. It’s a provision that teams only give out to top star players as a way to keep negotiations positive and show a commitment to keeping that player on the roster for a long time. It gives Anthony a lot of control as the February 23 NBA trade deadline approaches.
On his contract, Carmelo Anthony has one more year and then an early termination option the following season. For the 2017-18 NBA season, he will earn about $26.3 million, followed by about $28 million in the 2018-19 season if he doesn’t opt out of the deal. For the season, Anthony is averaging 22.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. He is shooting 43.5 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from three-point range, and 83.8 percent from the free throw line.
Kevin Love has three more seasons on his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, including a player option for the 2019-20 NBA season. He will earn salaries of about $22.7 million, $24.2 million, and $25.6 million over the next three years if he decides to opt into the final year of the deal. So far this season, Love is averaging 20.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He is shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from three-point range, and 88.0 percent from the free throw line.
A lot of NBA analysts have weighed in on the value that Love has provided to the Cavs, including his contributions that helped the team win an NBA title. He is still one of the best power forwards in the game, and it would be expensive for any team to pry him out of Cleveland. Anthony is also still a star in the league, serving as one of the main reasons that fans still buy tickets to watch the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. While more Carmelo Anthony trade rumors could surface before the deadline, it doesn’t appear likely that he will play for Cleveland this year.
[Featured Image by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images]
