Carmelo Anthony Trade To Boston Celtics Still In The Works?

A Carmelo Anthony trade to the Boston Celtics is still in the works by the front office of the New York Knicks. This shocking revelation came out Sunday morning (Jan. 29), with news that Knicks president Phil Jackson is still pushing the Celtics to make a deal. A new report by the Boston Globe shines an interesting light on the situation, especially since Celtics team president Danny Ainge has already rejected a trade offer from the Knicks.

So what does this all mean? The Knicks and Celtics have until the February 23 NBA trade deadline to work out a deal. In that time, the front office in New York has to convince Carmelo Anthony to waive his no-trade clause for a deal to even work and then the teams need to match salaries as they are both above the salary threshold. Then it comes down to exchanging assets, as Jackson would likely want Ainge to give up multiple draft picks for his All-Star small forward.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Phil Jackson has officially placed Anthony on the trade market, seeking the best package of young players and draft picks he can get for the veteran forward. Anthony holds most of the cards in this situation, as he can veto any deal that the front office comes up with. It creates a situation where not only does Jackson have to find a team that is willing to take on Anthony, he also has to come up with a deal that Anthony will agree to in the end.

These latest Carmelo Anthony trade rumors are picking up steam because of comments that Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens reportedly made. A source for the Boston Globe insinuated that Stevens “would embrace coaching Anthony” if a trade was agreed to by both sides. This presents some mixed signals from the Celtics, as team president Danny Ainge reportedly already rejected any deal. It’s clear, though, that Anthony’s stat line could help the Celtics on offense.

Through 47 games, he is averaging 22.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. Those numbers would be very nice for Boston, especially if that team doesn’t have to give up any core players to acquire him. Anthony also comes with some team control, as he is due about $26.3 million for the 2017-18 NBA season before he can use an early termination clause in his contract. That’s about one and a half seasons to get the Celtics deep into the postseason.

Entering play on Sunday (Jan. 29), the Boston Celtics are 29-18 in the updated NBA standings. That ties the Celtics for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with the Toronto Raptors and puts them just three games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best record in the East. This is an important detail, as it shows how close the Celtics are to competing for a conference title and possibly making it back to the NBA Finals. But is the current roster good enough?

At this point, any rumors of a Carmelo Anthony trade to the Boston Celtics makes it seem like Phil Jackson is a used car salesman. No matter how much Celtics coach Brad Stevens might want this “used car” he has to get his boss to agree to the purchase. If Danny Ainge is set on keeping all his assets intact for the upcoming offseason, then it doesn’t matter how many discounts that Jackson is willing to offer in a deal.

So what happens next? It’s possible that the New York Knicks could keep offering a deal to the Boston Celtics with the hopes that Danny Ainge changes his mind. If the Celtics were to start slipping in the standings, it might hasten a deal taking place. An alternative has also been floated by many NBA analysts, where the Celtics could be used as a third team in a deal to send Anthony to a different destination.

It has seemed like Ainge and the Celtics are intent on making a deal before the NBA trade deadline, even if it doesn’t involve acquiring Anthony from the Knicks. This makes them a prime candidate to help facilitate Anthony going to a different destination. As for these particular Carmelo Anthony trade rumors, the situation isn’t going to quiet down until Phil Jackson finally pulls the trigger on a deal.

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