The New York Knicks are reportedly inching closer to trading franchise player Carmelo Antony, according to NBA scribe Zach Lowe in his latest article on Grantland.
Lowe, who has been closely monitoring the latest 'Melo' drama in the big apple, agreed to the report of Yahoo Sports writer Adrian Wojnarowski and Wall Street Journal Chris Herring on the likelihood the Knicks trading the perennial All-Star forward if they falter anew this season.
In his article, the Grantland lead writer stressed that Anthony remains among the biggest potential movers roughly three weeks leading up to the start of training camp.
"The Kings and Knicks should take a look, even though neither has movable assets that would interest Phoenix - unless the Knicks are ready to engage in Carmelo Anthony trade talks. (They're not there, yet. But they're getting closer.)," Lowe stated on Grantland.
The Knicks signed Anthony to a five-year, $124 million deal to become the primarily linchpin of a legit title contender. That hasn't been the case the past two seasons, as injuries limited his appearance on the floor and lackluster performance put the Knicks in the cellar of the Eastern Conference.
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Here's the thing. Anthony is not untouchable to trades, but the Knicks won't deal their franchise player as well just because they want to dispose him. Therefore, it's safe to say Anthony will start the 2015-16 NBA season with the Knickerbockers.
On the other hand, it's also hard to deny the fact that Anthony's fate in New York is hanging in the balance. President of Basketball Operations Phil Jackson, albeit missing the big name free-agents this offseason, formed a pretty solid lineup with the acquisition of Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, and Kristaps Porzingis (no.4 draft pick).
It wasn't the star-studded roster they envisioned, but the make-up of this team is strong enough to punch a ticket in the postseason after a two-year hiatus. Jackson did the best thing he could do and it's all up to Anthony to do the heavy-lifting this time around.
Unfortunately for him, the Knicks brain trust patience on waiting for an Anthony-led championship squad is apparently running out. For all the championships he amassed throughout his playing and coaching career, Jackson will not wait too long for Anthony to deliver a championship.
If Jackson pulls off the 'inevitable,' he will find that there's only few teams he can sell Anthony to: the Boston Celtics (possessing an arsenal of first-round picks and future draft picks), the Los Angeles Lakers (with Jordan Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle as potential trade chip), and the Miami Heat (who has the live contracts to match Anthony's salary) are the main contenders.
Among the three, the Heat should be the team to watch out very closely because a.) they have established NBA stars to use in trade packages and b.) the presence of Pat Riley. The Heat's main architect has built dynasty after dynasty through a number of shrewd moves on the trading front. It won't be shocking at all if Riley will use Chris Bosh as a sacrificial lamb for a shot at Anthony, after all they already have a legit stud in Hassan Whiteside and Melo fits the mold of Erik Spoelstra's power forward in a small ball system.
Riley has been itching to exact revenge on LeBron James for not believing his vision of a decade-long reign in Miami. Anthony isn't LeBron, but he's still an elite talent that can match the four-time NBA MVP point-for-point.
The Knicks, meanwhile, will have a legit All-Star big man in Bosh whose skills-set accentuates well with Jackson triangle offense. Jackson has been salivating to acquire Bosh even during his time with the Toronto Raptors because of his Pau Gasol-liked qualities.
Of course, nothing is uncertain at this point. As mentioned earlier, the Knicks have the talent to make a run in the playoffs, while the Heat can go all the way to the finals if their loaded starting five (Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, Bosh and Hassan Whiteside) sync in well this season. Still, Heat should be a team to watch out whenever Anthony hits the trading block.