Carmelo Anthony (Photo : Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Now we have real reports on NBA trade rumors specifically on the Carmelo Anthony saga.
In a report from Marc Stein and Chris Haynes of ESPN, the offer was officially rejected even before Anthony was consulted on his no-trade clause.
"The Knicks have been unsuccessful in their attempts to engage the Cavaliers in Carmelo Anthony-for-Kevin Love trade talks in advance of the league's Feb. 23 trade deadline, ESPN.com has learned."
The report continued: "League sources told ESPN.com on Wednesday that the Knicks have approached the Cavaliers to gauge their interest in swapping All-Star forwards, but they were told that Cleveland is not interested in such an exchange. The Knicks, sources said, would have gone to Anthony to discuss waiving his no-trade clause had Cleveland shown interest in the deal."
It was rumored before that Carmelo Anthony would only waive his no-trade clause for two teams: the Cleveland Cavaliers and LA Clippers. Both these teams have a core of three superstars and are all reluctant to part with any of them. They also do not have other trade assets or draft picks
It should also be reiterated that New York initiated the talks, not the Cavs. They are not shopping Kevin Love at all.
Does this close the book on Carmelo Anthony teaming up with LeBron James? Not exactly if a report from Mike Ortiz of DYST Now claims that according to their sources, "James wants management to explore trade options to acquire Carmelo Anthony."
They also mentioned that the trade pieces would be Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert, a former New York Knick. Also, a third team has to get involved (though it was not specified which team and for what purpose).
Carmelo Anthony is a scorer, not a playmaker or rim protector. He is also not a defensive specialist by any stretch. The only virtue is that he is a close friend of LeBron James.
However, Melo can still contribute in clutch time, specifically in the playoffs as LeBron James is clearly looking ahead as he mentioned that the Cavs are top heavy and there are no other reliable scorers aside from the Big Three.
The report has yet to be validated by bigger news outfits at this time.
