Knicks Ship Carmelo Anthony to Thunder to Form 'Big Three' in OKC
After seven unfruitful and tumultuous seasons, the Big Apple and NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony finally part ways.
The New York Knicks agreed on Saturday to trade the 33-year-old, high-scoring forward to the Oklahoma City Thunder. In return, they receive 25-year-old center Enes Kanter, 25-year-old forward Doug McDermott, and a second-round draft pick. The confirmation came from a league official who was provided details of the deal, The New York Times reported.
Anthony is one of the league's most prolific scorers, averaging 24.8 points per game, to with 6.6 rebounds per game and 3.1 assists per game. The 10-time all-star spent his first eight seasons in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets, which he helped lead to the playoffs during his entire stint. In February 2011, Anthony, together with point guard Chauncey Billups, was traded to New York in a multi-player blockbuster deal.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Expectations went soaring the moment he donned the Knicks jersey as he led the team to the playoffs in his first three seasons. Things turned south, however, as the Knicks failed to make it to the postseason from 2013 onwards.
Fans remained hopeful when multi-titled coach Phil Jackson took over as Knicks' president of basketball operations in 2014. Since then, it has been a rollercoaster ride for Anthony, Jackson, and the Knicks. In summer of this year, Anthony demanded to be traded after a continuous falling out with Jackson.
Anthony's move to OKC, however, did not happen overnight. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski shared via Twitter that as it took the latter's acquisition of forward Paul George from the Indiana Pacers before Anthony decided to join the Thunder.
Meanwhile, BleacherReport said the Anthony deal worked favorably for OKC. The team was able to acquire a legit superstar and scoring machine to team up with George and reigning MVP Russell Westbrook without having to part with their key personnel.
It will be interesting to see how OKC's new "big three" will co-exist in the playing court. Only time will tell how they will fare against perennial powerhouses like the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs, and the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
