NBA Rumors: How Cleveland Could Trade for Carmelo Anthony
The popular choices in the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes will always be New York, New Jersey, and Los Angeles as long as mainstream media has control of the headlines.
All of the "blockbuster" rumors center around four-team trades that some how, some way have 'Melo representing the Knicks, Nets, or the Clippers this season or next summer.
Every once in a while, we will get lucky and catch the Chicago Bulls' name whispered in there or even the Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic as possible landing places.
But not once, and I really mean not once, have we heard anything about the Cleveland Cavaliers as a possible landing spot for No. 15.
I know there has been the "reported" list of teams that Anthony would be willing to go to in which he would sign an extension, but let's throw that list out the window, since none of us have seen it.
Today, in this article that I control, I will break down a scenario for you that would allow Carmelo Anthony to come to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This scenario is not based on some far fetched dream of 'Melo, one of my favorite players since his freshman season at Syracuse, coming to Cleveland in a lopsided deal in which the Cavaliers fleece the Nuggets.
No, this deal will meet all of the requirements the Nuggets have set forth if they are to trade Carmelo Anthony.
They have demanded cap flexibility, future draft picks, young talent, and a veteran for their front-court.
For those of you who think that Carmelo Anthony has a "big stage" state of mind, let me remind you that this is the NBA, and if a player sees the opportunity to win, he will take it.
Let me remind you that this is just a possibility that will probably never come to fruition in today's NBA.
But if I were Cleveland Cavaliers' general manager Chris Grant, I would certainly take the time to pick up the phone to both the Denver Nuggets and Anthony's agent, just to see if there was anything that I could do to bring a new superstar to Cleveland.
As always.....sit back, relax, and don't forget to comment......tastefully, of course!
What Exactly Does Denver Want?
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It's not easy for an organization to go from talking contract extension with their superstar to accepting the fact that he will be gone in 2011.
With that said, the Nuggets don't want to end up like the Cavaliers and the Raptors, organizations who looked stupid at the end of the free agency process with their superstar.
The Denver Nuggets have all but conceded on their attempt in retaining Carmelo Anthony, and with that decision they have made certain demands for the future.
Their first demand is cap flexibility.
The Nuggets have one of the NBA's highest payrolls this season at over $83 million.
Things are looking brighter for the organization going into next season as they have Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith, and Anthony Carter's contracts coming off the books, but they do not have a ton of talent.
Carmelo Anthony's $18 million will come off the books when he exercises his player option, the team holds a team option on Chauncey Billups' $14 million, and Nene can opt out of his $11 million if he chooses so.
Their second demand is young players.
If you look at the Nuggets' projected regular season roster, their youngest player under contract past this season is Ty Lawson at 22 years old.
After him they have Aaron Afflalo at 24 years of age.
Getting younger is something that the Nuggets need to do and now.
Their third demand is draft picks.
Future draft picks are a key for the Nuggets because they would like to build a young, talented core of players.
And their fourth demand is a veteran front court player.
If you have been watching all of the rumors, the Nuggets have attempted to get Joakim Noah from the Bulls, Derrick Favors from the Nets, and Andrei Kirilenko from the Utah Jazz.
Kirilenko was solely because of his $17 million expiring contract, but the other two were to have an energetic player down low.
So what do these things have to do with the Cleveland Cavaliers?
Let's take a look.
If Cap Flexibility Is What You Want, the Cavaliers Have It
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Thanks to the sign and trade with that man wearing the No. 6 jersey for the Miami Heat, the Cavaliers have one of the largest trading chips in the NBA.
A trade exception for $14.5 million.
This trade exception is a big deal in the NBA, especially for a team like the Denver Nuggets who are over the luxury tax.
While other trades would provide the Nuggets with cap flexibility at the END of the season, the Cavaliers could give it to the Nuggets from the minute the trade is consummated.
The Cavaliers also have a few expiring contracts that could sweeten the deal and help the Nuggets cut even more salary at the end of the season.
Those are:
Anthony Parker-$2.8 million
Jamario Moon-$2.9 million
Jawad Williams-$1 million
Leon Powe- $1 million
While these names aren't the sexiest on the market, they could provide the Nuggets with cheap players to fill the roster with until free agency in 2011.
If Young Players Are What You Are Seeking, Cleveland Has Those, Too
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I'm not sure if the "untouchable" label the Cavaliers have seemingly given J.J. Hickson over the past couple years has an asterisk next to it, but if it does, it should be for Carmelo Anthony.
The Denver Nuggets have been linked to Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls, and rookie Derrick Favors of the New Jersey Nets, but neither of them are J.J. Hickson.
Noah is energetic and will grab rebounds, but he doesn't have the ability to be featured in an offense.
Favors is young, untested, and is probably three or four years away from impacting the game in the way Hickson could.
Hickson showed flashes in limited playing time last season.
Those flashes were enough that every team who called the Cleveland Cavaliers asked for him in any deal last season.
I know many people will tell you that Hickson doesn't have a jumper, but that statement is untrue, and you will see this season.
Other young players that the Cavaliers have are:
2009 First Round Pick Christian Eyenga, who can jump out of a gym and is playing his first year with the team.
And 24-year-old Daniel Gibson can shoot better than 99% of the players in the NBA from long distance and could add some defensive toughness to the Denver back-court.
So The Nuggets Say They Want Future Draft Picks.....
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If draft picks are what the Nuggets want, the Cavaliers have plenty.
Long gone are the days of the Cavaliers trading their future draft picks away for guys like Jiri Welsch (remember giving up a 2007 first rounder for him and then getting a 2006 second rounder back when we traded him).
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a stock pile of future first- and second-round draft picks thanks to the LeBron James sign and trade with Miami.
On top of that, they do have their own picks in basically all of the upcoming NBA Drafts.
So whatever combination of draft picks the Nuggets want, the Cavaliers have them covered.
Not To Mention, the Cleveland Cavaliers Have Veterans As Well
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Young players and draft picks are great, but it seems that the Nuggets may just want some veterans as well.
While I doubt they are looking to take on the $9.3 million contract of Mo Williams and the three years that are left on it with 22-year-old Ty Lawson waiting in the wings, the Cavaliers do have a couple of other veterans that could be of interest.
Anderson Varejao is a 28-year-old, high energy, rebounding machine.
Rumors have linked the Nuggets to Joakim Noah, but if you can't have him, why not have the versatile Anderson Varejao who is playoff-tested instead?
Varejao can slash to the hole, run the court, and can play the power forward and center positions in the NBA.
Not to mention he has an affordable contract that has him locked in for the next five seasons.
Another veteran the Nuggets MAY be interested in is Antawn Jamison.
He would provide a major scoring upgrade over any one else at the small forward and power forward position left on their roster after the trade.
And he is only under contract for this season and next.
His $13.3 million contract may be a little steep, but the Nuggets could take Jamison and trade him to a contender in need of a scoring upgrade at the trading deadline and get expiring contracts and draft picks in return.
So What Exactly Would A Deal Look Like?
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NBA trades are not easy to complete.
There are hundreds of rules that you have to satisfy while putting together a deal, and it gets even more crazy when you attempt to include other teams.
One thing you have to remember with using a trade exception is that it can only be used in a deal in which there are draft picks and money going for one player.
The Cavaliers cannot combine their own players with the trade exception to make the deal work, which is why there would probably be other teams involved in the deal.
I know the first deal doesn't give Denver anything but savings and future picks, which is why there would have to be other teams involved in the deal to make sure the Nuggets got a front court player or two in the deal.
For this deal I have the Cavaliers and Nuggets performing two trades in order to get the necessary players where they need to be.
First Deal
Cleveland Gets:
Carmelo Anthony, SF
Denver Gets:
Trade Exception $14.5 million
2 Future First Rounders
2 Future Second Rounders
Side Deal
Cleveland Gets:
NeNe, C: $11.3 million
Chris Anderson, PF/C: $3.9 million
Denver Gets:
Anderson Varejao, PF/C: $7 million
Daniel Gibson, G: $4 million
J.J. Hickson, PF: $1.5 million
This deal in its entirety would cut $14.5 million off the Nuggets salary this season, the young PF they covet in Hickson, and the high-energy player they want in Anderson Varejao.
Why Would Carmelo Want to Be in Cleveland?
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Throughout 'Melo's tenure in Denver, one thing is very apparent.
He wants to be the man.
In Cleveland, he wouldn't have any problem being that person.
The city is searching for some sort of identity for its team after LeBron left, and Anthony could be just that person for the team.
And I don't know if Carmelo has noticed, but there is a big vacancy for a banner where the one in this picture used to be.
Another reason for Anthony to come to Cleveland is the dedication of owner Dan Gilbert.
Forget the lashing out at LeBron through the letter and all of the negative attention the media has put on Gilbert for those comments.
Players love when their owners want to win.
Gilbert's letter was not racist, it was not showing ownership over a player.
It was an outcry from someone who felt that he gave his all to a player and that player left them right when things were about to get good.
An owner that is willing to go out and do whatever Anthony wants is a HUGE draw for the player who saw his franchise go out and get two ball-dominating players who take a lot of shots in Iverson and Billups in an attempt to complement him.
Would Cleveland Want Carmelo Anthony?
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I'm not sure who wouldn't want a player like Carmelo Anthony, but sometimes the fans get a little worried about trading away a lot of players they are familiar for one they aren't.
I'm sure that the two biggest concerns about the deal would be letting the young, unlimited growth potential of J.J. Hickson walk out the door and allowing the "Wild Thing" Anderson Varejao to bring his energy and hustle to another team.
But players that can score 25 points or more on any given night and aren't afraid to take the game winning shot aren't easy to come by in the NBA.
And if the Cavaliers had a legitimate shot at landing Carmelo Anthony to be the new face of the franchise, I think you have to give up any player on that roster.
Plus, the starting lineup, if the deal was done as I laid it out, would actually present a more dynamic team to the fans.
PG: Mo Williams or Ramon Sessions
SG: Anthony Parker
SF: Carmelo Anthony
PF: Antawn Jamison
C: NeNe or Chris Anderson
This lineup would be much more stable with a scorer like 'Melo in the middle who doesn't like to bring the ball up the court like LeBron did.
Williams or Sessions could facilitate, Parker could knock down outside shots, Jamison performs his inside out, and NeNe/Anderson bang in the low post.
All of this while Carmelo Anthony is doing what he does best: score.
The Reality of The Situation
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The reality of the situation is that the Cleveland Cavaliers are much more of a long-shot to acquire Carmelo Anthony then they should be.
Today's game is driven by the belief that a player has to be in a "big market" in order to gain exposure.
Not to mention that Anthony's new wife is a celebrity who wishes to be part of the big-city style of living, and you know that when the ladies want something....they typically win out in the situation.
It's a shame that Anthony has to leave the organization that drafted him and has put together a team capable of winning around him, but it seems that he has made up his mind.
If Anthony decided that he wanted to come to Cleveland and play for an organization that has been to the NBA finals in the last five years and has won over 60 games in each of the last two seasons, he would be welcomed with open arms.
But if his desire remains to play in the big city, he will go to New York, New Jersey, or L.A. and soak in the media exposure and attention while playing for franchises that do not have a recent culture of winning.
At this stage in his career, being a 26-year-old basketball star in his prime, Carmelo Anthony should be less worried about the "big stage," and more worried about contending for a championship.
Whether he contends for that championship in Denver, Cleveland, Chicago, New York, or another city is entirely up to him.
But I would like to leave you with one little thing to think about before you rule the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes.
Anthony's biggest desire is to play alongside of Chris Paul.
Chris Paul was rumored to have told LeBron how great it is to play for new Cavaliers coach Byron Scott in New Orleans, and that he would love the opportunity to do so again.
If there is any organization capable of making trades appear out of thin air, it is the Cavaliers organization, as they have shown over the past couple of seasons putting pieces alongside LeBron James.
And if Anthony said I will go to Cleveland if they get me Chris Paul, I'm sure Dan Gilbert and Chris Grant could find some way of getting the job done.
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