NBA Rumors: Oklahoma City Thunder Want To Get Rid Of Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony was acquired to be the third member of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s “big three” last offseason. Russell Westbrook and Paul George were put together and many thought that the addition of Anthony would make the Thunder a serious contender in the Western Conference.
Unfortunately for the Thunder, that did not end up being the case. Oklahoma City struggled all season long to find chemistry with each other and were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the Utah Jazz. It was a disappointing season, to say the least, and the Thunder are now focused on righting the ship this offseason.
According to a report from Sean Deveney of Sporting News, the Thunder would like to get rid of Anthony this offseason. He has already refused to come off the bench next season, which adds to the desire to move on.
Anthony put together one of the worst seasons of his career in 2017-18. He averaged 16.2 points per game to go along with 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists. In addition to those averages, Anthony shot 40.4 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from behind the three-point arc.
Those numbers simply didn’t get the job done for the Thunder. The fact that Anthony is due just under $28 million next season is another reason that Sam Presti and company will aggressively try to move on from Anthony.
The Thunder would reportedly like to move on from Carmelo Anthony and focus on re-signing Paul George
(Via @sportingnews). pic.twitter.com/HTxentyzxT
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 2, 2018
Paul George is also a big question mark for the Thunder this offseason. We have previously reported that George is “gone” from the Thunder after reports broke. George could still change his mind and re-sign with the Thunder, but at this time it appears he will head elsewhere in free agency.
Oklahoma City could be back to square one next season with Westbrook being the only star on the roster. If Anthony stays, the Thunder won’t even have the money to be aggressive in free agency. Presti may have looked like a genius to the majority of NBA fans last offseason, but things are unraveling quickly.
Expect to hear Anthony’s name mentioned in quite a few rumors this coming offseason. Oklahoma City is going to do everything they can to move on from him, but it isn’t likely to happen.
