Carmelo’s contract, no trade clause and trade kicker is causing all type of problems for the Knicks who are desperately trying to trade him.
The Clippers want him, but have some concerns, the Cavs don’t want him and we aren’t sure if that is coming from GM LeBron or the actual GM of Cavs.
Here is the latest via ESPN.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Knicks continue to discuss the prospect of sending Anthony to Los Angeles without taking back any of the Clippers’ top three stars but have struggled to find a trade construction that works for both teams involving the other players on L.A.’s roster.
The Knicks also have continued to try to assemble a workable trade that the Cleveland Cavaliers would consider for Anthony after ESPN.com first reported earlier this week that the Cavs rebuffed Anthony-for-Kevin Love proposals.
With CP3 out, the Clippers who wouldn’t have to give up any of their big 3 are still reluctant to give up any of their guards at the moment for Carmelo, but that is only part of the problem.
Sources say that the Knicks, for their part, are reluctant to absorb the three years and $42 million left on Crawford’s contract after this season, which has led to the hunt for a third team that might be interested in Crawford. The Clippers, meanwhile, are hesitant to surrender the sharpshooting Redick even if they were at full strength in the backcourt, sources said.
Those various conflicting interests, sources said, have necessitated a search for potential third-team involvement. Also complicating a potential Clippers-Knicks deal is the fact that L.A. is hard-capped this season, which would make it difficult for the club to deal with the 15 percent trade kicker in Anthony’s contract that would add nearly $10 million to his 2016-17 season if he’s dealt.
Quirky NBA rules wouldn’t even allow Blake Griffin to be discussed in a trade, the Celtics don’t want Melo because they said he doesn’t play defense and other teams simply aren’t interested because they believe Melo is on downside of his career or wouldn’t want to go to their team.
Stay tuned.