Carmelo Anthony’s departure from the New York Knicks seems imminent. The forward has been the subject of trade rumors all summer as the team looks to move into a rebuilding phase while he chases a ring elsewhere.
Most tangible reports have had the All-Star landing with the Houston Rockets as he is reportedly willing to waive his no-trade clause in order to play with his friend Chris Paul and James Harden. There have also been whispers of a partnership with LeBron James in Cleveland.
But there may be a third team looking to swoop in for the scoring ace. According to The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Melo have developed a mutual interest in a trade.
Have a scoop – OKC and Carmelo are officially circling each other. OKC's Troy Weaver recruited Melo to Cuse + has known him since DMV days.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) July 24, 2017
(It’s important to note that Simmons is not a traditional reported and tends to only give analysis. Nevertheless, he’s a big enough name to give some credibility to the report.)
The Thunder run a notoriously quiet front office – there were zero reports of a trade for Paul George until it happened – so it may be that the source of this report is solely upping Anthony’s trade value.
If the Thunder are indeed interested in trading for Melo (and the forward and his celebrity wife are interested in joining a small market team), then it would add another level of intrigue to the Western Conference as the Thunder, Rockets, and Spurs all seek to bypass the Warriors en route to the Finals.