The NY Knicks begin their training camp on Monday and Carmelo Anthony is still a Knick. There were reports swirling that a trade to send Anthony to the Rockets was near completion, but Houston has been unable to find a 3rd team to take on Ryan Anderson’s contract, and the Knicks are looking for assets in return that Houston doesn’t have.
In response to this stalemate, Carmelo is expanding the list of teams he would go to in a desperate attempt to leave the Knicks.
Story filed to ESPN: Carmelo Anthony has expanded the list of teams with which he'd accept a trade — including the Cleveland Cavaliers.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 23, 2017
The expansion of teams also includes the Oklahoma City Thunder, which means Carmelo is serious about a change of scenery and a chance to win. This latest development gives more credence to the possibility that Carmelo is traded to another team that has not been on the national radar for Carmelo trade destinations, and that team is the Portland Trailblazers.
According to Jason McIntytre of the Big Lead, Carmelo may already be on his way to Portland unless Houston completes a deal.
https://twitter.com/jasonrmcintyre/status/910908788986716160
https://twitter.com/jasonrmcintyre/status/910941343068778496
Damian Lilard and C.J. McCollum have actively recruited Carmelo since the beginning of free agency, and Portland makes sense as a trading partner since they have plenty of young assets for a rebuilding Knicks franchise. The question is, is Portland the right fit for Carmelo and does it bring him closer to a championship? Well, the answer is probably not but adding Carmelo would make them a second tier contender in a tougher Western conference.
Heading to the Cavs is an easier path for Carmelo and would garner immediate success, but it appears that the Knicks would gladly take a nicer package from Portland to ensure an adequate return for Carmelo.
As we have seen this summer with Kyrie, Chris Paul, and Paul George, anything can happen when it comes to NBA trades.