New York gets:
This NBA offseason has been full of stunners, and now that the trade was made official today, Carmelo Anthony choosing to waive his no-trade clause and trade kicker to move to Oklahoma City is right up there among them. And before you weep for Enes Kanter being traded away from a place he has been very outspoken, remember that the trade kicker he got when signing an offer sheet with Portland bumps his salary this year to $20,566,802 and he has a home in New York. Now let's look at this deal from each team's perspective.
The Knicks were obviously hoping for more at the beginning of this saga, but considering that their hands were tied by Anthony's ability to veto deals, this is better than nothing to help them towards a proper rebuild around Kristaps Porzingis. Although they weren't able to pick up an extra 1st round pick, Chicago's 2nd this year should be in the 30's as that team also rebuilds, and it helps make up for the fact that they don't control their own 2nd due to a pick swap. Kanter's bonus means that they're only saving just under $2.4 million this season, but even in the likely event that he picks up his option for next season (which is not affected by trade) they have gained $9.3 million in flexibility for that year. Perhaps they extend McDermott in the next few weeks or retain him in restricted free agency after seeing what they have in him, but the point is that they did well not to take on any long contracts like the Ryan Anderson one Houston was offering. The big man rotation next to and behind Porzingis is a bit crowded with Willy Hernangomez and Joakim Noah already in the fold, but Kanter can put up big scoring and rebounding numbers while his defense, or lack thereof, should help them tank. The same will likely be said about McDermott since he'll have plenty of opportunities at small forward on this team, and maybe more offensive freedom will help him show why he was a highly regarded, albeit overrated due to his lack of defensive tools, prospect coming out of college. They are both just 25 years old, so there is a chance this trade can be remembered for more than just helping the team achieve another high spot in the lottery.
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| This will take some getting used to. |
Even if, like me, you think that Melo shouldn't have been an All-Star last season and is generally overrated now that he is 33, it's hard to argue that this wasn't a steal for Sam Presti. The Thunder turned two bench players that were hardly playable in the playoffs and a draft pick that was somehow added on in a trade deadline upgrade into an overqualified third scorer who can unlock some interesting lineups. They are fully going for it now and giving Russell Westbrook even more reason to believe in the franchise and commit to a long-term extension. This new team isn't guaranteed to work, which leaves the possibility that all three of Westbrook, Anthony, and Paul George could opt out next summer and leave, but Carmelo was heavily recruited by his new teammates and buddy Troy Weaver for a reason and probably won't get more money elsewhere than the nearly $28 million he'd be walking away from. Even in that doomsday scenario, the low opportunity cost was worth the chance to contend for a title, and it's another fancy salary dump since they sent out a bloated contract. Much like the George trade, Presti took advantage of extenuating circumstances to pry an All-Star away from an Eastern Conference team who is stupidly focused on moving the player to the West. Newsflash to the Knicks and Pacers: it's going to be quite a while until you make some postseason noise, so you don't have to worry about facing your former star in the playoffs.
I do believe that this team could contend for the championship if the Warriors stumble for whatever reason, and although they still might finish the regular season as the fourth best team in the West like I already projected them as, their ceiling is undoubtedly higher. I would expect Antony to start as a stretch four, which is tough luck for Patrick Patterson since he likely thought he had the starting role when he signed for just the Taxpayer MLE, and he should thrive as a complimentary scorer like when he plays for Team USA. Although he won't have the benefit of the international 3 point line that is shorter, he should be noticeably more efficient without having to create as much because he hit 109 of 261 (41.8%) catch and shoot 3's last season compared to just 38 of 149 (25.5%) on pull ups, per NBA.com tracking. In the larger sample size of the last four seasons total, he has made 335 of 829 (40.4%) catch and shoot 3's compared to 135 of 453 (29.8%) pull ups, so he should space the floor beautifully while his perimeter defense is exposed less than when he played small forward full time. Unsurprisingly, George has been similarly efficient off the catch with a 41.4% (441/1064) mark compared to 30.5% (148/485) when doing it himself over that same span, so even if Westbrook is still ball dominant to a certain extent, his new wingmen can certainly play off of him and then stabilize bench units while he sits. Creating offense while Westbrook was on the bench was what was sunk OKC last year, and that should be fixed now since George has proven he can be something of a point forward at times and Anthony is a capable passer when the opportunity presents itself despite his ball-stopping reputation. Starting a small lineup with those three and Andre Roberson at shooting guard should also allow them to continue to play uptempo, and the easy scoring opportunities in transition can help make up for shots the two new stars are sacrificing in the half court overall.
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| "Team USA Melo" should have plenty of open looks, especially on trail 3's. |
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