New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony finds himself at the center of trade rumors yet again after receiving heavy criticism from FanRag Sports' Charley Rosen, who is known for being one of the people closest to Phil Jackson. Many took his words as indirectly coming from Jackson, sparking Melo to comment, “If they feel my time in New York is over, I guess that’s a conversation we should have.”
Anthony has a no-trade clause that he has previously refused to waive, and after meeting with Jackson, he has said he is still committed to the Knicks. However, Anthony's comments are the first time he has indicated that he may be willing to waive that no-trade clause. If New York does decide to trade him, and if Melo decides to waive that clause (he'd only do it for certain teams), here are the three teams that would be the most likely to trade for him:
3) Denver Nuggets
Want a reunion? Of all the non-contending teams who may want to add Carmelo to make a splash with fans, you'd have to believe returning to the team where he started his career is the only one he would entertain. This would also work because Denver has as plenty of talented young players and assets that would intrigue the Knicks.
Still, their only chance at making a trade would be if Anthony really wanted out of New York and the Nuggets could convince him they'd be a contender with him. Keep in mind, Denver is competing for the 8-seed in the Western Conference this season.
2) Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs are reportedly done making moves after acquiring Kyle Korver from the Hawks, but they may jump at the chance add Anthony - longtime friend of LeBron James - to create a Big 4 if they feel they need him to compete with the Warriors. Cleveland would have to give up several of their rotation pieces to make the money work, and Tristan Thompson would likely have to be included in the deal for contract purposes.
The Cavs may not want to part with that much and Carmelo may have reservations about playing in Cleveland, but playing for a championship contender with LeBron could be enough to get him to waive his no-trade clause.
1) Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles far and away has the best chance to land Carmelo. He and his wife, LaLa, love being in New York and love everything it has to offer, and LA comes as close to that as anywhere else (for obvious reasons). The Clippers also need an upgrade at the small forward position, and adding a player of Melo's caliber would instantly put them in the conversation with Golden State in the West.
LA would likely have to part with all of their current and some future draft picks since they can't offer anything other than rotation players, but if Jackson wants Anthony out, it's a possibility they'd be fine with a combination of picks and bench guys. As for Carmelo, he would likely need assurances that Chris Paul and Blake Griffin would re-sign with the team in the offseason (both will be free agents), but if he's going to leave the Knicks, this is where he'll end up.
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