Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony teaming up next year? (Photo : Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
The NBA trade rumors are taking bizarre turns and injuries could throw a wrench to an erstwhile contender.
The Los Angeles Clippers could be on their last contender train this season with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin both on expiring contracts. There have been suggestions of trading one or both of these players to avoid losing them for nothing in free agency, but Doc Rivers rightfully deflected all of them.
However, Chris Paul got struck with another injury and the "Clippers' curse" may have reared its ugly head again. The reports have Paul missing 6-8 weeks, which may be crucial at this point as the race for playoff position in the West has heated up.
What compounds the problem for the Clips is that the team plays better when they miss Blake Griffin as opposed to playing without Chris Paul. With this development, has the Clippers lost their final chance to win with this version of the Big Three?
Tom Ziller sought to address that question in this SB Nation feature and contends that they should try and keep the team together, if for no other reason than the absence of better options.
"The Clippers could let CP3 walk this summer, but there's little upside in that. L.A. wouldn't have cap space to chase a new co-star for Griffin anyways. So, what is there to do but wait for July 1, offer up fat contracts, and run it back again?"
The article also points out that CP3's value will plummet as he becomes "a rental who isn't scheduled to hit the court until March. One slip-up in post-surgery rehab and you'd be giving the Clippers a trade asset for literally nothing. "
That may sound like a trade that the New York Knicks could actually gamble on. The team is in disarray but one thing's for sure: Carmelo Anthony is staying in the Big Apple. With the no-trade clause, Melo will remain with the team unless he chooses not to.
But the latest buzz is that he wants to stay, as reported by the NY Daily News: "Nothing has changed," the report cited their source. "(Carmelo) wants to stay in New York and win in New York."
It may sound crazy, but if the Clippers feel like they could lose CP3, the Knicks would be the team audacious enough to take him as a rental, believing they are capable of re-signing him because of Carmelo Anthony and New York being New York.
This is purely a speculative scenario, but it could cross their collective brain thrusts. The Clippers can send Derrick Rose's expiring contract, but the problem is that the Knicks don't have too many assets to add.
Still, if Phil Jackson is stuck with Carmelo, he may as well try to build a team around him. He did try this season, but Chris Paul is the gamble worth taking if he wishes to try again.
