Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers fight for position in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden on December 7, 2016 in New York City. (Photo : Getty Images/Elsa)
If there is one name that will never go away in the trade rumor mill of the National Basketball Association, it is Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks. After the Cleveland Cavaliers rejected the Knicks' offer of trading Anthony for Kevin Love, rumors of LeBron James pushing for that declined trade has resurfaced.
According to the New York Daily News, James is the one pushing the Cavaliers to deal Love for Anthony even though the organization has no intentions of letting go of their double-double machine. James and Anthony are close friends since they entered the league in 2003 with the former being drafted No. 1 overall and the latter No. 3 overall.
The Knicks gave Anthony with a contract that has a no-trade clause, a deal that if he does not want to waive, will make him stay in New York. According to rumors, a trade to the Cavaliers is the only deal Anthony approves and would make him waive his no-trade clause.
Despite trade rumors, the multi-faceted forward has been playing his basketball of the season. In the last 10 games, Anthony is averaging 26.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting an efficient 45.7 percent from the field.
However, those rumors were quickly dismissed by James himself after the Cavs won against the Washington Wizards in overtime on Monday. 'The King' called the report "trash" while Cleveland coach Ty Lue said that Love is staying with the Cavaliers, NBA.com reported.
Love, who said that the reports were just lies, has been a pivotal part of the Cavaliers recent success. In the last three games, the stretch forward is averaging 25.3 points and 12.7 rebounds while shooting 47.7 percent from the field, 45.8 percent from deep and 95.8 percent from the free throw line.
Though the Love rumors are already behind, James has maintained that the Cavaliers need a playmaker and free agent Jordan Farmar is reportedly at the top of the list.
Watch the video below to see James' reaction:
