The New York Knicks, on Saturday morning finally, pulled the trigger on a trade for Carmelo Anthony by sending him to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Prior to the move, the Cleveland Cavaliers were long-rumored to be one of the possible landing spots for the 10-time All-Star. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Cavaliers had presented an offer that included a pair of key bench players.
Cleveland’s package included Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye, and would’ve needed to be supplemented with minimum veterans, league sources said. Cleveland would never have considered including its 2018 first-round pick via Brooklyn, league sources said.
What may have been a deal breaker could have possibly been the non-inclusion of the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round pick. This selection has the potential to become one of the top picks in next year’s draft and has much value because of that alone.
Iman Shumpert has been rumored to be involved in trade rumors over the last few months while this is the first time that Channing Fyre has been mentioned since being acquired by the Cavs. What is interesting to note is that All-Star forward Kevin Love was not included in the trade offer for Anthony. Love’s name has been tossed around in the rumor mill over the past couple of years.
With Carmelo Anthony’s situation finally addressed, the Cavs can move on to focus on next season with training camp set begin this upcoming week.