Are the Oklahoma City Thunder Better Off Without Carmelo Anthony?

Less than 10 months after waiving his no-trade clause to leave the city that never sleeps for the city that's in bed by 10 p.m., Carmelo Anthony may be on the move again.

The Thunder front office is working on a way to part with the 10-time All-Star, as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski and Royce Young of ESPN. The only questions left are how, when and how much it will cost.

Some might see the eventual departure of Anthony as addition by subtraction. But is it really?

The Thunder's opening night starting lineup of Russell Westbrook, Andre Roberson, Paul George, Steven Adams and Anthony were plus-14.1 points per 100 possessions last season. During a much-discussed 21-8 stretch of the season, the net rating soared to plus-24.5.

Naturally, the two Thunder All-Stars will boost the numbers of any lineup. But the Thunder were winning, and Anthony played a role in that as a third scorer who opened up the floor for others. To say that he never worked in OKC isn't accurate.

However, the wheels began to come off in February.

After the All-Star break, Anthony slumped and never recovered. His scoring slipped to 13.7 points per game on 38 percent shooting. The Thunder found success in closing lineups with Anthony on the bench. In a late-season game against Denver, Melo chose to stay on the bench and allow Jerami Grant to finish the fourth quarter, as coach Billy Donovan told reporters after the game.

He became a point of exposure in the playoffs against Utah. While Westbrook and George both struggled at points in the series, Anthony couldn't bail them out. He connected on only 21.4 percent of his three-point attempts, and the Jazz surgically sought him out on defense. He infamously got into a heated argument with assistant coach Maurice Cheeks while on the bench during the Thunder's historic comeback in Game 5.

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

It's those moments that led to Melo's exit interview heard 'round the world—and the image that sticks with fans in the end.

But it wasn't all bad. And if the postseason results had been different, perhaps there would be more of a willingness on both sides to run it back. But Anthony is unhappy, and the Thunder's core of Westbrook, Adams, George and Grant is locked up for at least the next three seasons (Grant is the only one with a player option for the third year). With no free-agency clouds on the horizon, there's less urgency to try to force something that feels off.

The Thunder now move to either trade Anthony or release him outright.

The deadline to release Melo and stretch out his salary, be it the full $27.9 million or an agreed-upon reduction, is August 31. Doing so could reduce the Thunder's tax bill this season by more than $100 million but also potentially tack on tax next season. They still come out ahead in that scenario.

A trade is possible, but Anthony would have to cooperate. Offloading Melo onto a team with cap space, such as Atlanta, would likely cost the Thunder valuable draft assets. Another team may be willing to absorb his deal in exchange for offloading long-term money, but OKC may not want to pollute the future books any further.

The bigger question is how the Thunder will replace Anthony's production, spotty as it was.

Ideally, Melo was supposed to be a catch-and-shoot floor-spacer for the Thunder. While he was at times, Anthony grounded possessions to a glacial halt too often, going into isolation mode nearly 18.1 percent of the time. He scored 16.2 points per game on the season but had a woeful effective field-goal percentage of 47.6. Yet he was a luxury scorer who took some of the offensive burden away from Westbrook and George.

Before Melo, that luxury scorer was center Enes Kanter, part of the trade to get Anthony in a Thunder uniform. Now Oklahoma City could enter next season without that extra option. That's a dicey proposition in a perpetually loaded Western Conference.

OKC's taxpayer mid-level exception, worth $5.3 million, is still available. However, the list of players on the market worth that price is rapidly evaporating. The Thunder met with guard Tyreke Evans, per ESPN.com's Chris Haynes, but weren't able to match a $12 million offer from the Pacers. One intriguing option, Milwaukee's Jabari Parker, is a restricted free agent, though the chances of signing an accomplished scorer like him with the mid-level exception are slim.

Tapping into that exception would come with additional taxes that the Thunder are in line to save. As of now, the Thunder are in a tax bracket that would cost them $5.75 for every $1 in salary. Depending on how this Anthony situation is resolved, OKC should wind up in a much lower bracket. Still, it could face the possibility of adding $3.50 or $4.25 for every additional $1 of salary.

On the other hand, there are ways to address some of this from within. The Thunder played at a league-average pace last season and could look to goose the offense now. The ball should stick less without Anthony, but asking Westbrook to release control of the offense in favor of more flow is an annual event.

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

There will be more opportunities to get the ball into George's hands. Grant made marked in-season strides and re-signed with the Thunder for $27 million over three years.

Terrance Ferguson enters his second year with an opportunity to sprout. He earned Donovan's trust throughout the season and knocked down 44.4 percent of his three-point attempts after the All-Star break. Alex Abrines has been in and out of Donovan's rotation largely because of defensive ineffectiveness, but he remains another option to get more looks.

Veteran Patrick Patterson could make a bigger impact next season too. He began last season hobbled due to a knee injury and averaged a career-low 15.5 minutes per game. Once a key piece off the Raptors bench, Patterson's season ended with his playing a single minute in Game 6 against the Jazz. If healthy, he can help spread the floor and keep defenses honest.

OKC's lone free-agent signing of a player who wasn't on the team last year, center Nerlens Noel, comes with more question marks than The Riddler. His impact is anticipated more on the defensive end and within three feet of the basket.

A group of young, unproven and/or journeyman players will be asked to close the gap on the court. But the bigger gap was between Melo's production and salary—and the enormous cost of keeping him. The Thunder have long been prepared to pay a big tax bill, but they'll feel they can improve while also slashing their payroll.

Reported signings via NBA.com's free-agency tracker. Stats via NBA.com unless otherwise noted.