Surprise, surprise: Carmelo Anthony wanted to make nearly 28 million dollars. As it stands right now, he will be on the Thunder this upcoming season. This puts the team in a difficult situation regarding their cap space and ability to make any moves.
Putting the cap aside, Melo was a major disappointment last season. He had career-lows in points (16.7) and assists (1.3) per game. His 40.4 field goal percentage was also the worst of his 15 year career.
With Melo in, Thunder is over the projected $101 million salary cap with its current top 5 players in salary for 2018-19 (not accounting for free agents.