Portland Trail Blazers: What should Rip City do with its trade exception?

Option 2: Use it in a trade FOR Melo

There’s been a lot of news circulating around Carmelo Anthony and where he stands with the New York Knicks. It’s no secret the Knicks want him gone. Unfortunately, they’ve been having trouble finding a deal for him since Anthony has a no-trade clause in his contract.

Melo has reportedly expressed interest in joining James Harden, Chris Paul and the Houston Rockets. The Oklahoma City Thunder have also been involved in Melo trade rumors. The Cleveland Cavaliers were on Melo’s short list of desired destinations as well.

In more Portland-related news, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum have been reportedly trying to recruit Melo, hoping to convince him to waive his no-trade clause in favor of joining the Trail Blazers.

Were Lillard and McCollum to be successful in this endeavor, the Blazers could trade either Evan Turner or Maurice Harkless (with the latter being the more likely of the two to be dealt), along with Meyers Leonard and Pat Connaughton — who’s currently living on borrowed time with the Blazers — for Carmelo Anthony. Most likely, draft picks would have to be involved, but here’s the basic idea:

Using the trade exception, the Blazers could take on the salary of a Knicks player like Lance Thomas or Chasson Randle, bolstering Portland’s depth at the wing spot.