The New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder have reached a trade agreement that sends Carmelo Anthony to the Thunder, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The trade call is scheduled for Monday, according Wojnarowski.
New York has agreed to a deal to send Carmelo Anthony to OKC for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a draft pick, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 23, 2017
Deal is complete, trade call Monday.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 23, 2017
Carmelo Anthony had been seeking a trade for most of 2017, with his original issues in the organization stemming back from when Phil Jackson was Knicks President. Anthony and his camp began pushing harder for a deal to be completed once September came around and training camp started to near.
Anthony clearly had little interest in reporting for the Knicks organization, and quickly expanded his list of interested teams after hearing Houston was no longer a viable destination. The Knicks wasted little time honoring his new requests.
Anthony holds a no-trade clause in his contract, which played a significant role in a process that had an inevitable outcome all along.
Russell Westbrook, this past season’s MVP, and Paul George, who was acquired by the Thunder via trade this summer, played substantial roles in persuading Anthony to waive his no-trade clause and join the team, according to ESPN.
Anthony, 32, is entering his 15th season in the league. He was traded from Denver to the Knicks back in 2010 and spent seven seasons with the club, making the postseason just once.
Anthony posted per-game averages of 22.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 74 contests with the Knicks last season. He is expected to report to training camp with the Thunder when the team opens up on Tuesday, according to ESPN.
The Thunder can opt to use Anthony in a scoring role off the bench, a role of unfamiliarity for a longtime starter, or work to make him a starting front court player. Back in 2012, Anthony was used at the power forward position for the majority of the season, which resulted in substantial success for his playoff-team. He was used in a similar role with Team USA during the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
For the Knicks, the thought of acquiring a young, offensive weapon in Doug McDermott piqued the team’s interest immediately. The team drafted promising big man Kristaps Porzingis in 2015 and guard Frank Ntikilina in June, and now will add to their stash of future assets.
Enes Kanter holds a player option after this season and can opt to become a free agent on July 1. The Knicks are due to pay him $17.8 million this upcoming season.
The Knicks also acquired a future draft pick, set to be a second-round pick for this upcoming June, ESPN reports. To make room for Kanter and McDermott, the team will release guard Chasson Randle, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical.
Carmelo Anthony and the Thunder will host the Knicks in their first game of the regular season on October 19.
