NBA Trade Rumors: Latest on Kyrie Irving Saga and Carmelo Anthony

If the NBA wants to emulate the NFL in its year-round format that never lets fans turn away, this is certainly the way to do it.

Granted, the threat of blowing up a superteam led by LeBron James can't happen every offseason. But it has this time, and Kyrie Irving looking to get away from the Cleveland Cavaliers has sent a jolt throughout the league.

This time last week, the biggest rumors making the rounds centered on Carmelo Anthony, which, given the repeated nature of those, was something fans could look away from until something (if anything) went down.

Now there's no looking away. Here's the latest on the saga intertwining both high-profile names.

Celtics Make the Call

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

By now, most fans have heard about the drama surrounding Irving and the Cavaliers.

Irving went to the Cleveland front office and asked for a trade, according to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst. The request was made for a variety of apparent reasons.

Naturally, when a name like Irving starts making the rounds, seemingly endless teams come out of the woods for a shot. It's why recently a rumor centered on the Sacramento Kings popped up, according to James Ham of CSNBayArea.com.

Therefore, it was only a matter of time before the Boston Celtics got involved.

Here's ESPN.com's Zach Lowe with the note: "Most teams, including the asset-rich Celtics, have placed the obligatory call letting Cleveland know they would like to be kept in the loop, sources say."

The Celtics are the kings of eye-popping rumors who rarely pull off a big move because of the front office's conservative ways. On paper, though, they're one of the few teams able to compensate Cleveland well enough for the loss of Irving thanks to years of stockpiling picks and talents like Isaiah Thomas.

And an Irving-Gordon Hayward-Al Horford core looks better than what the Celtics have trotted out lately in the Eastern Conference—but that's where the Cavaliers have a problem. Cleveland still wants to compete and convince LeBron to stick around after this year, so shipping Irving directly to its top competition doesn't seem likely.

But crazier things have indeed happened.

LeBron's Reaction

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Naturally, LeBron's role in all of this might be bigger than the actual trade rumor itself.

Irving leaving is a huge deal sure to alter the title outlook right away. But LeBron's reaction and what he decides to do after next season when he can utilize the opt out in his contract is an even bigger deal.

Over the past few days, it seems LeBron's reaction has hit on everything across the board. The Windhorst writeup characterized him as "blindsided," and ESPN.com's Chris Haynes followed with a report about LeBron's continued commitment to the team.

Monday the vibes took a turn, though, with Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon describing James as "eager to see [Irving] off." This doesn't sound terrible— James should naturally want the team to clear up any question marks surrounding the team so his guys can get to work.

This next part, though, is a bit different. According to a source that spoke with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, James isn't thrilled: "If Kyrie Irving was in front of LeBron James right now, LeBron James would be tempted to beat his ass."

So, this unexpected drama has a little bit of everything and the wide range of emotions coming from the King aren't hard to understand. At face value, we have the second-most important member of a superteam willing to sacrifice a yearly trip to the Finals if it means getting away from LeBron and a messy front office. 

Coincidentally, "messy" might be the best word for the entire situation, no matter the result.

Carmelo-Thunder Time?

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Carmelo finds himself weaved into the above drama for a few different reasons, though his ruined relationship with the New York Knicks reigns supreme.

The Knicks burned their bridges with their superstar and former president Phil Jackson moving on doesn't rebuild it.

On paper, Carmelo could be a bit of strong compensation able to will the Cavaliers into a deal. Speculation has linked him and LeBron for years and now Cleveland has a reason to make it happen. The problem is compensation, as Carmelo isn't enough on his own in an Irving trade—and ESPN.com's Ian Begley reported the Knicks aren't willing to include Kristaps Porzingis.

With talks there hitting a wall, The Ringer's Bill Simmons brought up another interesting angle:

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the league's surprise winners this offseason, nailing down Paul George for at least a year. Granted, it's not too surprising given the presence of Russell Westbrook.

It'd be fun to watch the Thunder engage in shootout after shootout every night as the Westbrook-Carmelo-PG13 core went to work. But defense might be a hiccup and any remaining value the Thunder have in the rotation would need to entice the Knicks to a trade in the first place.

If this sort of deal finds enough footing, there's still Carmelo's no-trade clause to jump over—and he's been adamant about joining the Cavaliers or Houston Rockets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Maybe Carmelo's stance changes if the Thunder get serious. But it'll require a second or third team to make progress, which it could do in the background given the attention the Irving-Cavaliers situation commands.

As of now, the mill hasn't forgotten Carmelo.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.