NBA Trade Rumors: Cavaliers Could Swap JR Smith For Carmelo Anthony, Per ‘Amico Hoops’
When they lost Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute in the recent free agency, the Houston Rockets became aggressive on the market, trying to fill the huge hole in their wing. The Rockets decided to sign Carmelo Anthony from the buyout market, but the 10-time All-Star proved to be an odd fit in Houston. Aside from their major problem in the wing, the Rockets are currently finding ways on how they could dump Anthony to other NBA teams.
According to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops, the Rockets could hit two birds with one stone by engaging in a trade deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Amico suggested that the Rockets may consider trading Carmelo Anthony to Cleveland for veteran shooting guard J.R. Smith. An NBA scout and an opposing team’s general manager who spoke to Amico Hoops both agree that the Rockets and the Cavaliers should push through with the deal.
Aside from unloading Carmelo Anthony, the Rockets will be receiving a defensive-minded player, J.R. Smith, who could address the issue in their wing. Meanwhile, the scout believes keeping Anthony for an entire season won’t hurt the Cavaliers. Like what happened to Derrick Rose with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Anthony has the chance to revive his NBA career in Cleveland.
“You could always include Carmelo in a deal then waive him. But I don’t see the harm in keeping him. Why not? Who else do you have on that team that will be there beyond this season? (Collin) Sexton? (Cedi) Osman? There’s maybe five, six guys. … Put it this way, if it means unloading Smith I would do it. You can give Carmelo a shot and if it doesn’t work out, that’d be on him. I don’t think he wants to get waived again. He might play hard and enjoy himself, like Derrick Rose is doing (with the Minnesota Timberwolves).”
Should the Heat pursue Carmelo Anthony? A new mailbag: https://t.co/TqNUdl6tfK
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) November 16, 2018
At 34, there is no doubt that Carmelo Anthony is already on the downside of his NBA career. However, no one can deny that fact that Anthony still has lots of gas left in his tank and that it is still too early for him to retire. The veteran small forward could be a great addition to a team that needs a reliable scoring option, and as of now, the Cavaliers only rank 23rd in the NBA’s offensive efficiency, scoring 103.6 points per 100 possessions, per ESPN. When Kevin Love returns from an injury, Cavaliers Head Coach Larry Drew could do an experiment to see if Anthony could be a perfect fit to the face of the franchise.
As of now, it remains unknown if the Cavaliers and the Rockets have any plan of engaging in a trade negotiation involving Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith. Expect more rumors to circulate before the February NBA trade deadline.
