NBA: Carmelo Traded To Atlanta
Carmelo Anthony, 10-time NBA All-Star and 2013 NBA Scoring Champion, has been traded for the second time in two years. He was dealt at the end of last summer to the Oklahoma City Thunder after requesting a trade from the New York Knicks. It was previously reported just a couple of weeks ago that the Thunder were looking into getting rid of Anthony after just one season with the organization. Oklahoma City constructed a team that they believed could compete with the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Houston Rockets, but they never quite clicked. They finished fourth in the Western Conference standings with a 48-34 record and lost in the opening round to the Utah Jazz. So with that said, the Thunder wanted to move on.
Anthony has always had to be the best player on his team in order to be successful because of the amount of shots he needs to take. In OKC, he was the third (and sometimes fourth option). He averaged 16.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game with the Thunder last year. Now, he's being traded to the Atlanta Hawks for point guard Dennis Schroder. Anthony won't ever play a game with the Hawks, though. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Atlanta is planning to waive Anthony, which means he'll be free to sign wherever he pleases. The Rockets and Miami Heat are said to be the clear frontrunners after meeting with Anthony in Las Vegas recently. It seems like this is a good deal for both sides.
The Thunder get rid of Anthony, who wasn't working, and in the mean time they'll save nearly $100 million in luxury tax. On top of that, they receive a pretty good guard in Schroder, who averaged 19.4 points and 6.2 assists per game last season. He should fit nicely next to Russell Westbrook and Paul George as a more efficient third option. For the Hawks, they get rid of Schroder who expressed that he didn't want to play for a team that was rebuilding. Atlanta can now start a bunch of young guys like Trae Young, Tyler Dorsey, Taurean Price, John Collins, and Dewayne Dedmon, and not have to worry about how it impacts Schroder going forward. My guess is Anthony will sign with the Rockets within the next two weeks or so.
Photo Credit: NBA.
