NBA Trade Rumors: Latest on Carmelo Anthony, Andre Drummond and More

The end of July and beginning of August is usually the time of year when the NBA falls off the radar, but it looks like trade rumors surrounding Carmelo Anthony may keep the shine on the league a bit longer.

Now 33, Anthony probably isn't able to carry a team as the lead star anymore. But if he's the third option on the Houston Rockets or Cleveland Cavaliers? Now, that's interesting.

Others who could find themselves on a new team before the regular season kicks off include big men Jonas Valanciunas and Andre Drummond, but changes in the way the game is played may make it more difficult to find a landing spot for a traditional center.

Will either's team be able to talk another into taking them on? Will the Rockets or Cavaliers be able to put together a package good enough to pry Melo from the Knicks. The next several weeks will tell.

Will Melo Finally Get Dealt?

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The primary player in the never-ending drama that is the New York Knicks is now Anthony, despite the presence of rising star Kristaps Porzingis and the absence of seemingly anti-Melo executive Phil Jackson.

Why? New York can't really begin to move on till these trade rumors, discussions or negotiations, whatever they are at this point, are in the rearview.

And while things seemed to have stalled out, ESPN.com's Ian Begley reported that Melo still expects to be playing with Chris Paul and James Harden when everything's said and done.

"Carmelo Anthony is not considering the Portland Trail Blazers as a potential landing spot via trade, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski," Begley wrote. "Anthony, who has a no-trade clause, said to friends as recently as earlier this week that he still expects to end up in Houston, per league sources."

His interest in the Rockets makes plenty of sense. Melo is a scorer. And Harden led the NBA in assists last season. Since he joined the Rockets in 2012-13, he and Paul are fourth and second, respectively, in total assists. Anthony will get loads of wide-open looks playing alongside two of the game's best and most-willing passers.

The problem, though, is Houston basically emptied the vault for the CP3 trade of a few weeks ago. And the rebuilding Knicks are understandably out on taking on the Ryan Anderson contract ($60-plus million over the next three seasons).

So, unless Houston and New York can find a willing third party to take on some money, the waiting game could go on a bit longer with this story.

Can the Raptors Unload Valanciunas?

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In the last couple offseasons, the Toronto Raptors doubled down on core pieces like DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka.

They re-signed DeMar DeRozan to a massive deal last summer and did the same with Lowry and Ibaka this July. Now, they'll have around $80 million a season tied up in those three for the next three years.

The front office will have to be creative to build around that trio when the salary cap figures to be in the neighborhood of $100 million. And Valanciunas' $16 million a year could be a real creativity stifler.

Hence, Toronto's willingness to unload him.

"They spoke with several teams and a couple of them were willing to simply absorb the salary, according to sources, but the Raptors were reluctant to give Valanciunas away without recouping any value," TSN's Josh Lewenberg wrote. "They had drafted him fifth overall in 2011 and have spent five years' worth of time and resources developing him."

Toronto wanting something back for a 25-year-old seven-footer who's averaged 15.8 points and 11.7 rebounds per 36 minutes over the course of his career makes sense, but its hand may be forced soon.

In today's NBA, versatility and switchability are critical. And Ibaka at the 5 makes the Raptors much more capable of that type of game. Whatever teams were willing to "simply absorb the salary" should be on speed dial, and not just for economic reasons.

The End of the Drummond Era in Detroit?

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Like the Raptors, the Detroit Pistons might have a center whose time has run out in his current situation.

Since Stan Van Gundy took over in 2014-15, Drummond's true shooting percentage, win shares per 48 minutes and box plus-minus have all spiraled downward, per Basketball Reference.

What was supposed to be a partnership akin to SVG and Dwight Howard with the Orlando Magic just hasn't worked, and the Pistons are mired in mediocrity.

So, which teams might be interested in Drummond?

"Toronto called dangling Jonas Valanciunas before the deadline, and Sacramento and Phoenix also expressed strong interest in Drummond in June, per sources," Sports Illustrated's Jake Fischer wrote. "There's enough grease to ultimately move the wheels and find Drummond a new home before the season starts, and he's almost certainly not finishing out the final four years of his five-year max contract in Detroit."

Toronto doesn't make a ton of sense, as Drummond is set to make quite a bit more than Valanciunas over the course of his current deal. Adding him would just make them even less flexible.

Well, there might be something there with the Suns and Kings. Both teams have some intriguing young bigs, but none are as close to cornerstone-big-man level as Drummond.

Things may not be working out in Detroit, but Drummond is still perhaps the game's best rebounder (he led the NBA in rebounding percentage in three of the last four years, per Basketball Reference), and he has the physical tools to be a rim-runner in the mold of DeAndre Jordan.

Someone just needs to convince him that the path to relevance for a big in today's game isn't in post-ups, but in rolling hard off ball screens and dominating the offensive glass.