Oklahoma City, eh? Sure, why not? (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
After everything that has gone on between Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks, it looked this week as if he would still be a member of the team when training camp begins Tuesday. But late this week, news began to percolate that Anthony would agree to expand his possible trade destinations — his contract includes a no-trade clause — in the hopes of freeing himself from the mess at Madison Square Garden.
And on Saturday there was concrete movement, with The Vertical’s Shams Charania reporting that Anthony will be traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for center Enes Kanter, forward Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round draft pick.
In Kanter, the Knicks get much needed big-man scoring help along with a contract that would further the team’s plans. As NBA.com’s David Aldridge explains, Kanter has just one guaranteed year left on his contract plus a player option for 2018-19.
New York is not interested in a deal in which it takes back significant money in the 2019-20 season. That season, the Knicks could have significant salary cap room,” Aldridge writes.
The Knicks also didn’t want Anthony on an Eastern Conference opponent, which precluded a trade to a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Aldridge says. Anthony reportedly had the Cavs and the Rockets on his list of possible destinations before Saturday’s news broke.
Life moves pretty fast: On Tuesday, Kanter tweeted out just how happy he was to be in Oklahoma City: