NBA Rumors: Analyzing Trade Reports on Carmelo Anthony, Jahlil Okafor and More

The NBA trade deadline is a time for opportunity. It's a time for contending teams to re-tool their rosters for the playoffs in hopes of winning the NBA Finals, and it's a time for pretending teams to press restart and begin again from scratch.

It's also a time for players to embrace opportunities as well. Many players are in difficult situations around the league, and a change of scenery could reboot their careers.

Take the group of players discussed below for instance.

Will New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony rid himself from the toxic mess in New York?

Can Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor free himself from the frontcourt logjam in Philadelphia and find a home?

Will Los Angeles Lakers guard Lou Williams, Brooklyn Nets wing Bojan Bogdonavic, Phoenix Suns small forward PJ Tucker and Denver Nuggets small forward Danilo Gallinari find themselves competing on playoff teams after wallowing on losing squads all season?

Here's a look at the latest information surrounding those players and the chances of them packing their bags this week.

Carmelo Anthony

The feud between Anthony and Knicks president of basketball operations Phil Jackson has exhausted fans, to the point where it's impossible to see them both co-existing in New York next season.

That being said, the time might be this offseason and not this week. Marc Berman of the New York Post reported the following news on Sunday:

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According to a source who has spoken to Knicks officials, the odds are heavily against the team dealing Anthony by Thursday’s trade deadline. Anything that has been discussed probably has not been attractive enough, plus Anthony can block any deal that is not to Los Angeles, his preferred destination.

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Anthony has been connected to the Cleveland Cavaliers, per Joe Vardon of cleveland.com and the Los Angeles Clippers, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN, although both suggested that Melo moving this week seems remote.

Here's Lowe with more, including a new and appropriate nickname for the Knicks: "The Clippers are still kicking the tires on everything, including their pipedream of snaring Carmelo Anthony from the Kazoos without giving up any of their core four guys."

Melo is probably staying put in New York this week, which means a few months more of agonizing stories featuring passive-aggressive shots fired during the never-ending Jackson-Melo battle. But a divorce seems inevitable this summer.

Jahlil Okafor

With the emergence of 76ers center Joel "The Process" Embiid, Okafor suddenly became more expendable, which is remarkable considering that he's only two years removed from an NCAA championship and being drafted third overall.

The 76ers are tipping their hand on Okafor, seeing as how they benched him last week to prevent him from getting hurt prior to a deal. David Aldridge of TNT has more on that story:

Marc Stein of ESPN went on Mike & Mike and said the 76ers are committed to moving Okafor and mentioned Boston and Chicago as teams that have shown at least some level of interest (speed ahead to the 5:00 mark).

It's not a matter of whether Okafor is going. It's a matter of where he's headed. The wild guess is that he goes to a team that is a few pieces away (like Chicago) rather than a favorite (like Cleveland) or leading contender (like Boston or Washington).

Bench Help on the Way for Contenders?

Numerous contending teams are in dire need of bench help, namely the Washington Wizards, who don't have a reserve averaging more than seven points per game.

Washington will be a buyer at the deadline, per Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype:

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The Washington Wizards have been playing excellent basketball lately, winning 14 of their last 16 games. They are now the third seed in the Eastern Conference, and rival executives say that they are a buyer as the trade deadline approaches.

Washington obviously doesn’t want to mess up the good thing that they have going, but if the Wizards’ front office finds a deal that can solidify the team as a contender, they’ll pull the trigger on a trade.

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Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical connected Williams and Bogdanovic to Washington (fast-forward to the 4:00 mark):

The Boston Celtics sit one spot above Washington in the Eastern Conference and may feel the need to add a bench player to bolster their rotation if they can't land Butler.

Tucker and Gallinari have both been connected to Boston. Sean Deveney of the Sporting News has the report on Tucker:

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They can do that without Butler, instead trying to make a minor move for a contributor like Suns forward P.J. Tucker. Boston has expressed deep interest in Tucker ahead of the deadline, a source said. Get Tucker, and the Celtics can add depth without giving up on a potential No. 1 pick. And there is cap space available this summer to sign a player in free agency. Without trading for Butler, Boston could keep the pick and get a name player this summer.

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And Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald also had an in-depth feature on the Cs and the trading deadline, mentioning Gallinari as someone Boston has admired from afar:

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You can expect the Celts to keep an eye on Danilo Gallinari, a shooter they’ve tried to get in the past. Ainge has an NBA man-crush on Gallinari, who hasn’t been on the rumor radar, but that also was the case when Ainge went after Isaiah Thomas two years ago.

There is no doubt Danny is aware the Celtics need another significant and consistent scorer to complement Thomas if they hope to honestly contend for a championship. So he will have to continue to work the market, hoping something breaks free.

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The guess is that the Wizards view Williams as Plan A and Bogdonavic as Plan B. Expect Williams to head to Washington and for Bogdonavic to land on another contending team in need of some scoring punch off the bench.

As for the Cs, if they don't get Jimmy Butler, look for them to land a fallback wing option, with Tucker being the most likely candidate.