NBA Rumors: Examining Trade Chatter on Carmelo Anthony, Kawhi Leonard and More
The Oklahoma City Thunder are still trying to trade Carmelo Anthony.
The Thunder would like to find a willing trade partner who can take his $28 million salary obligation off of their hands.
Since Anthony has opted in on his contract, he will get his $28 million next season. However, the Thunder have decided they don't want him to be a part of their team.
The Thunder must trade or waive him to remove him from the roster.
Marc Stein of the New York Times noted that whether Thunder trade or release Anthony, he is expected to eventually become a free agent.
The Houston Rockets appear to be the team favored to end up with the player on their roster next season.
The 34-year-old averaged 16.2 points per game for the Thunder last year, but he connected on just 40.4 percent of his shots from the field. Anthony has a career average of 24.1 points per night with a 44.9 shooting percentage.
While he struggled a bit last season, there's no reason he can't become a key contributor on a contending team.
The big news in the NBA was the trade of Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs to the Toronto Raptors.
However, neither Leonard nor DeMar DeRozan, who is going from Toronto to San Antonio, are pleased about the deal, according to initial reports.
ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Spurs traded Leonard and Danny Green to the Raptors for DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick.
Leonard played just nine games because of a quad injury last season and had said he wanted out of San Antonio. However, Toronto does not appear to be his ideal destination.
Sean Deveney of Sporting News reported league sources have said Leonard has "no interest" in playing in Toronto and could sit out the entire season.
DeRozan does not appear thrilled by the move either, as he said he felt he was lied to by Toronto management and that he is "extremely upset," according to TNT's NBA reporter David Aldridge.
While both players may be upset about the specifics of the trade, it seems likely they will eventually accept the terms and report to their new teams whether they are happy about it or not.
The Boston Celtics are reportedly close to completing a new contract with restricted free agent Marcus Smart.
Yahoo's Jordan Schultz reported the two sides are closing in on a four-year deal in the range of $48 million to $52 million.
Smart averaged 10.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. While he had several notable moments for the Celtics during the season, consistency was not his strong suit.
