A "bold" NBA trade prediction involving a swap between the New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony and Brooklyn Nets' Joe Johnson is circulating online these days. The source said that the Knicks' might be open to the idea of having "one sizeable step back for a brighter future".
Sports on Earth's Michael Pina recently published 23 fearless forecasts for the league's 2015-2016 season and one of the most interesting items in the list is the suggested Anthony-Johnson trade between the neighboring franchises.
Pina noted that with Phil Jackson currently focused on New York's rebuilding efforts, losing Anthony and the $101 million remaining in his five-year, $124 million contract could be a huge advantage for the squad especially entering the summer of 2016 when notable free agents such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, and even Kobe Bryant, will be out in the market.
Trading for Johnson and a 2016 first-rounder would mean that the Knicks would temporarily inherit his expiring deal worth a staggering $25 million this season, but the effects next summer would be astronomic in the big picture for the Big Apple squad.
However, the article also acknowledged that with the no-trade clause in Anthony's contract, the eight-time All-Star has the power to choose where he would like to be traded and it is highly unlikely that he would want to shift cities at this time of his career.
A report on SB Nation said that Anthony does not want to leave Phil Jackson and the Knicks even if the team will "stink" this season.
"No, hell no" was his straightforward answer to reporters who asked him whether he would be open to a trade if ever New York struggles this year.
With that, it is safe to say that this "bold" rumor is unlikely to take place, although we are still in the first few weeks of the regular season so anything can happen.