Carmelo Anthony has given the New York Knicks a new list of teams he’d be willing to be traded to and, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, that list includes LeBron James’s Cleveland Cavaliers.
Earlier in the summer it looked like the Knicks and Houston Rockets were closing in on a trade yet nothing came to fruition. Anthony, who has a no-trade clause, was hoping to join Chris Paul and James Harden on what could be a Western Conference powerhouse, but the Knicks reportedly did not want to take on power forward Ryan Anderson and the $60 million he’s owed over the next three years as part of the deal.
“When we set out, we said if there was something there that made sense both for him and for the Knicks organization, then we would strongly consider it,” New York general manager Scott Perry told reporters Friday prior to Wojnarowski’s report. “Obviously, we sit here today and that did not happen as of yet.”
Anthony has been with the Knicks since 2011 when the franchise acquired him in a three-team trade that involved the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The 33-year-old was selected third overall in the 2003 NBA Draft, the same draft in which James was taken first overall by the Cavs. Anthony and James have been teammates in the past at all-star games and while representing the United States at international tournaments, yet many basketball fans have wondered what it might be like if they ever became teammates in the NBA.
It’s unclear how many other teams are on Anthony’s acceptable trade destinations list, although Knicks beat reporter Ian Begley of ESPN reports the Oklahoma City Thunder are one of them.
“Carmelo’s always been a professional. That’s one thing I’ve always respected about him,” Perry added. “So if he’s back here with the New York Knicks, we expect him to be the professional that he’s always exemplified throughout his career and move forward with him.”
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