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TRADE NEWS: Carmelo Anthony To The Oklahoma City Thunder!

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Only one day after he expanded the list of teams he would waive his no-trade clause for, Carmelo Anthony is finally on the move. Anthony was traded from the New York Knicks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and a second-round pick, aligning him with Russell Westbrook & Paul George to form a formidable force in the Western Conference. Anthony joined the Knicks in 2011 and helped turn the Knicks from a struggling below .500% team to a playoff contender. However, after the team went back to their losing ways and after a falling out with the Knicks' executive Phil Jackson, the writing was on the wall that Melo's time in New York was limited.
Despite the Knicks poor play over the last four years, Anthony himself has continued to play great basketball. Anthony is a 10-time all-star who has never averaged less than 20 points a season. During his six & a half years on the Knicks roster, Anthony averaged 24.7 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 44% from the field and 37% from three-point range. Despite his top-notch play, an NBA Championship ring has alluded Anthony. Out of the top five picks in the 2003 NBA Draft, Carmelo Anthony is the only one of them to have never won a ring...and that includes this guy.
This move has probably given Melo the best chance he's ever had of winning a ring his entire career, and no doubt he'll try to make the most of it.
This trade is a big addition to the Thunder, who had already made a big move this summer on their way to challenging the stacked Western Conference. Anthony will join Russell Westbrook, the reigning MVP, and only the second player to average a triple-double for the season after Oscar Robertson. Westbrook finished the year with averages of 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists as he led the Thunder to a playoff run, only to be knocked out in the first round by the Houston Rockets. Melo will also be joining Paul George, a fellow All-Star who was also traded to the Thunder this offseason. George is coming off a season where he averaged 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 46% from the field and 39% from three-point range. Whether or not this trio can compete with the likes of the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets is something we have yet to see, but they have the potential to be a big threat in the West. There is one concern for the Thunder, however...all three of them could be free agents next season, as Westbrook & George have player options and Anthony has an early termination option. If this season ends going poorly (the three can't mesh or injuries ruin them), then it's possible the Thunder lose at least one of them, especially with the persistent rumors of George signing with to the Los Angeles Lakers next season. Still, as of right now, this was a great move on the part of the Oklahoma City Thunder. As for the New York Knicks...not so much.
Now, I get it. The Knicks were kind of forced against a wall with this one...but they really lost this trade bad. Granted, they didn't get completely shafted. Enes Kanter is a pretty solid player, averaging 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds last season while shooting 55% from the field, but his defense is horrible, possibly one of the worst in the NBA or at least at center. Despite that, he could slide into to the starting center spot or will be playing behind Willy Hernangomez. They also got Doug McDermott, who can score a decent amount (9 points per game last season) but is also a bad defender like Kanter. He'll likely have to battle for minutes with Michael Beasley this season. And the pick...I got nothing. This Knicks are in definitely in rebuild mode now, and this will be the season to see if Kristaps Porziņģis can lead a team.

Thanks for reading.
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