Will the New York Knicks just go ahead and trade Carmelo Anthony already?
The NBA silly season has spilled into late July, and with the recent Kyrie Irving news, it looks destined to extend into August at least. Meanwhile, Anthony remains a Knick, and his future with that franchise is very much up in the air.
After Irving reportedly demanded a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Knicks emerged as one of the point guard’s preferred destinations. Anthony and Cavs star LeBron James are friends so a trade centered around Anthony and Irving might make sense, no?
The problem, according to the New York Daily News, is Anthony’s insistence on joining the Houston Rockets, the team with which he has been linked for about a month.
“The Knicks would love nothing more than to use Carmelo Anthony plus two picks to make a deal happen,” Daily News writer Frank Isola wrote Monday night. “Unfortunately, the Cavs don’t seem to have much interest in Melo, who, like LeBron and Kevin Love, is another power forward.
“Also, according to a source close to Anthony, his primary objective is to get moved to Houston. His camp is optimistic that a deal with the Rockets is going to happen.”
That would reinforce the report from Los Angeles Daily News reporter Tarek Fattal, who cited a source Monday saying Anthony is “likely” to be traded to Houston this week.
Houston certainly seems like the best place for Anthony to land, as he’d be able to team up with James Harden and the recently acquired Chris Paul to form another Western Conference powerhouse.
Thumbnail photo via Noah K. Murray/USA TODAY Sports Images
