Carmelo Anthony has been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After months and months of looking, the New York Knicks have finally found a willing trade partner for former franchise cornerstone Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony has been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In exchange for the 33-year-old small forward, the Knicks receiver Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a draft pick.
Not the strongest of returns for a future Hall-of-Famer, but both sides knew it was time to move on.
Anthony averaged 22.4 points, 2.9 assists, and 5.9 rebounds in 34.3 minutes a game for the Knicks last season. All of those numbers are right around (if slightly below) is career averages.
This gives the Thunder an intriguing third star to team with reigning-MVP Russell Westbrook and fellow-newcomer Paul George. Unlike Westbrook and George, Anthony has more than one year remaining on his contract.
Kanter is the biggest piece headed back to the Knicks. The 25-year-old center averaged 14.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks in 21.3 minutes a game for the Thunder. Kanter is known as a player who excels on the offensive side of the court, while not bringing much to the defensive end.
McDermott is a 25-year-old small forward who averaged 9.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 22.8 minutes a game last season in a year split between the Chicago Bulls and the Thunder. Like Kanter, he doesn’t bring much to the defensive end, but his outside shooting potential does offer an interesting element to an offense.
The Knicks will also receive a 2018 second round draft pick.
