Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors: 10 Potential Free Agency Destinations
Carmelo Anthony has been the subject of numerous trade rumors for the last few months.
Denver was put in an awkward position when Anthony basically demanded a trade. Denver has quite obviously been reluctant to part with Melo and have tried on numerous occasions to open up contract negotiations. The attempts have been futile, though, as Melo has made up his mind and wants out.
Recently, the rumor mill has been in full force as talks for Melo have heated up and potential deals have been laid out on the table. The most recent trade rumors had Melo going to the New Jersey Nets in a massive 15-player deal between that would involve the Detroit Pistons.
Recent reports, though, have said that the deal has hit a few bumps in the road that could stop the trade talks from progressing.
One option that really hasn't been considered by fans and experts is the potential that Anthony could be a free agent this summer. This could happen several ways. Denver could choose not to trade him, leaving Anthony to most certainly opt out and become a free agent. Or, Melo could be traded to a team and end up not signing a contract extension and testing the free agent market.
This article will examine the teams that could be a player for Anthony should Melo wind up a free agent after the season is over.
10. New Orleans Hornets
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The New Orleans Hornets have been an exceptional team this season which has surprised some.
Some people may find it odd that I have chosen New Orleans as a possible fit for Melo. The Hornets don't really have a true small forward on their roster. Granted, Trevor Ariza does play at the position for the most part and does it well but, he's more of a shooting guard in my mind.
The New Orleans Hornets could possibly have the salary means to have a legitimate chance at luring Carmelo. The Hornets have $16 million coming off the books next year in expiring deals and could potentially have more room. David Andersen has a team option that could alleviate about $3 million and David West could decline his $7 million player option. New Orleans could also refuse to extend qualifying offers to Marco Belinelli and Jason Smith which would amount to $6 million in salary relief.
Odds are this won't happen but, it is something to think about. Imagining the potential dominance of a Chris Paul/Carmelo Anthony combination should make some water at the mouth.
9. Utah Jazz
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The Utah Jazz are more of a player for Melo in my mind because of the competitive nature of their franchise. The Jazz always seem to be among the best teams in the NBA and have had a devoted and energetic fan base. The Utah Jazz have never really had a lot of playoff success though as they have always seemed to miss that one big player who makes clutch shots in high pressure situations in the playoffs.
The Utah Jazz are under a few more financial constraints than say the New Orleans Hornets but could very well pull it off if the opportunity presented itself. The Jazz are set for some salary relief as the massive contract that Andrei Kirilenko signed is set to expire. The Jazz also have a team option on C.J Miles for $3 million that could be declined for Melo.
The odds of the Jazz ignoring the possibly of re-signing AK47 for Melo and being put under enormous financial constraints at the same time are slim. But, once again it is one more thing to think about.
8. Memphis Grizzlies
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The Memphis Grizzlies have a pretty good team, on paper. When one sees Mike Conley, O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol, one thinks winner. Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, that has not been the case. The Grizzlies have struggled to stay afloat in an impossibly hard Western Conference.
Next year, the Memphis Grizzlies have the opportunity to "rebuild" once again. The massive and restricting contract of Zach Randolph expires this offseason as well as the contract of young center Marc Gasol. Marko Jaric's expensive deal comes to an end as well and the Grizzlies have two team options and a player option that could alleviate a nice chunk of change.
Although the Grizzlies have Rudy Gay at the small forward position, both Carmelo and Gay can both play the power forward position as well. As much as this scenario isn't ideal, I don't think the Grizzlies would have too big a problem with this. Unfortunately, I doubt Carmelo would even consider playing with the Grizzlies, no offence Grizzlie fans.
7. Dallas Mavericks
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The Dallas Mavericks have an excellent team this year. Yes they do, and they have had a lot of success this year and are almost certainly going to make the playoffs. But, the Mavs have always lacked the extra "je ne sais quoi" come postseason time.
The 2011 offseason looks extremely nice for the Mavs with the exception of the burden of Brendan Haywood's silly and expensive contract. The Mavs have just about $12 million coming off the books in Tyson Chandler and have about $10 million coming off in Caron Butler. The Mavericks also have several tinier expiring deals headlined by DeShawn Stevenson.
With the Mavs set to lose Caron Butler, there will be an obvious hole at the small forward position. With the extra salary relief and the promises of a potential championship, Anthony could be lured into signing a contract with the Dallas Mavericks.
6. Atlanta Hawks
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The Atlanta Hawks are having an OK year by their standards. They haven't been nearly as dominant as they had hoped to be but, are still in a nice position come playoff time. Like most teams it seems, the Hawks have always lacked a great small forward.
The offseason is looking good as Jamal Crawford has a $10 million contract coming off the books as well as several other minor players have expiring deals as well. To bolster the potential chances of signing Melo the Hawks would need to unload Mike Bibby who could be gone at this deadline as well as someone like Williams.
Again, Atlanta seems unlikely with the financial restrictions but, Anthony would be a very nice fit in an upbeat Hawks offence.
5. Toronto Raptors
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The Toronto Raptors are in rebuilding mode this year after the organization took a hit this summer with the departure of Chris Bosh. The Raps (as expected) have been bad this year and the inexperience has really shown. This year is all about development for the Raps who have a good core of young players who loook like they might be around for a longtime.
The Raptors offseason is looking brighter than almost anyone. The Raps have the massive expiring contract of Peja Stojakovic that will take away about $15 million as well as Reggie Evans' $5 million deal that expires after this season. Leandro Barbosa also has a player option that he could decline giving the Raps a ton of cap space. There will also be a decision on the qualifying offer of almost $4 million on Julian Wright.
The Raptors are in desperate need of a good small forward (no offence Linas Kleiza) and have been looking for one for quite sometime. The Raptors have most positions sured up and with a ton of cap space heading into the offseason I imagine the Toronto Raptors may actually have a legitimate shot at landing the big fish Carmelo Anthony.
4. New Jersey Nets
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The New Jersey Nets have been really terrible for a few years now. Last year was an absolute monstrosity and this year has only been slightly better. The Nets have been in discussions with the Nuggets about a big trade proposal to land Anthony but, I have my doubts as to whether they will actually finalize anything anytime soon.
The Nets have a ton of cap space but, that is all they have going for them. They have zero fan support and that is not something that Melo wants. The media is quite poor there and it is just a losing basketball squad with a dim future. With Troy Murphy coming off the books for $11 million and several other smaller expiring deals, the Nets could entice Melo with a max deal for certain.
If the Nets fail to land Melo in either the trade being discussed now or cannot sign him in the summer of 2011, it will be a massive blow to the organization.
3. Phoenix Suns
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The Phoenix Suns have really lacked that star presence as they miss Amar'e Stoudemire badly. The suns have been terrible with the exception of the always consistent Steve Nash. The Suns aren't going to make the playoffs this year.
The Suns however could be busy bees this upcoming offseason as they have a massive team option on Vince Carter which they will swiftly decline giving them almost $20 million in salary relief. Along with several other less important expiring deals, the Suns will almost have too much salary space.
All of this money and the lure of playing with Steve Nash could draw Carmelo the way of Phoenix. Carmelo would thrive in the upbeat offense that Phoenix has always run and would probably enjoy his time under a coach like Alvin Gentry.
2. Houston Rockets
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The Houston Rockets have struggled for the most part this year with the absence of big man Yao Ming who went down for the season early on. However, the Rockets have played better basketball of late and have a fairly bright future. The Rockets are solid at point guard, shooting guard, and power forward but lack at the center and small forward.
The Rockets have the gigantic $17 million expiring deal of Yao Ming taking a huge load off of the salary cap next year. Starting small forward Shane Battier's contract also comes to an end and so does that of Jared Jeffries. The Rockets also have many team options to deal with and a couple less important expiring deals. Suffice to say, the Rockets are in a really good position come the summer.
The Houston Rockets will probably be able to take a run at both Marc Gasol and Carmelo Anthony. Of course, the Rockets have this weird record of being on every big name free agent or hot trade commodity but never seem to wind up with the player. In this case though, I think the Rockets have a very very good chance of grabbing Melo.
1. New York Knicks
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Was there ever any doubt?
The New York Knicks have enjoyed a very nice year as the key additions of Amar'e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton have really propelled the team to the front of the Eastern Conference standings. The Knicks have a good team but, won't win the championship just yet. The Knicks still lack that one last scoring punch.
The Knicks have a lot of money coming off the books this summer as the $11 million contract of Eddy Curry expires. The Knicks also have Kelenna Azubuike and Roger Mason coming off the books. New York also has a team option on Bill Walker that will probably be declined.
I am almost 100% sure that the Knicks (one way or another) are going to wind up with Carmelo. Anthony loves the Knicks and the Knicks love Melo. It is a beautiful partnership waiting to develop. It is inevitable and the Knicks have the financial means to give Melo a max contract if needed.
At the end of the day you can have all the salary space you want but, it all comes down to the player and where he wants to go. And where Carmelo wants to go, is New York.
