Carmelo Anthony Trade: Celtics Weigh Pros and Cons of Trade With Knicks
Even as the first seed in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics looked like just a speed bump for the Cleveland Cavaliers on their way to the National Basketball Association Finals. Could Knicks star Carmelo Anthony be the missing piece for the Celtics to be a Finals contender again?
This team of the Boston Celtics is looking for some adjustments as they exit to the offseason. With a lot of potential assets at their disposal, including the extremely valuable number one overall pick in the coming draft, the Celtics organization has a lot to work out if they really want Knicks star Carmelo Anthony over to add to their team.
The deal entails giving up Celtics defensive small forward Jae Crowder, along with other concessions, for the Knicks to trade Anthony over, according to the New York Post. Given that Crowder has been unable to contain Lebron James to a useful extent, it would be a trade that Celtics general manager Danny Ainge would be somewhat amenable to.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Other options for Celtics are on the table, and given the $30 million in salary cap space that Ainge potentially has available to work with, a trade for free agent Gordon Hayward, who played forward for the Utah Jazz, would be possible. Other stars such as Paul George and Jimmy Butler could be free for the taking as well, depending on their respective teams' decisions this offseason.
At 32 years old, Carmelo Anthony is also considered a declining player even as he generates offensive numbers in his late prime, according to the Daily Knicks. That fact also factors in for the Celtics as they decide if they want to pull the trigger on this trade.
None of them would be as affordable as Carmelo Anthony, though, and the Knicks star can provide instant offense as a power forward, something that the Celtics is looking for at this stage.
