Carmelo Anthony, SF, New York Knicks
One way or another, Carmelo Anthony will not be a Knick when the 2017-18 campaign gets under way. Phil Jackson said so himself, stating that his superstar would be “better off somewhere else” (via Mike Vorkunov).
So who are the potential suitors? I’m sure plenty of teams will be at least tentatively interested in Anthony, depending on the price tag. However, when it comes down to it, I’d have to guess the Lakers would be particularly intrigued by the idea of adding the scoring machine to their roster.
They were even rumored to be one of the interested parties leading up to the trade deadline.
The best part about a potential deal for Carmelo? The Knicks are so desperate to unload him, he’d probably warrant the smallest amount of compensation among the three names on this list.
While the Lakers aren’t necessarily lacking in trade chips, avoiding giving up a king’s ransom would be ideal.
The Boston Celtics recently emerged as another possible landing spot for Anthony (via the New York Post). Other teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers were mentioned as options before the trade deadline, but may not have the cap space to take on his contract.
Nor do either of them have the draft assets to make a deal worth it for New York.
In the end, the Lakers may just be a legitimate landing spot for Carmelo. They tried to sign him back in 2014 when he hit the open market, and could get another opportunity to bring him aboard in 2017.