Anthony reportedly still favors Rockets
If Carmelo Anthony has eyes for Oklahoma City, he has even bigger ones for Houston.
The New York Knicks All-Star still considers the Rockets his “top destination” in a trade, according to a report from ESPN.com’s Ian Begley. Anthony, 33, and the Thunder were reportedly “circling each other” earlier this week, according to The Ringer’s Bill Simmons.
Based on Anthony’s close relationships with Houston guard Chris Paul and Cleveland’s LeBron James, and their public desires to play alongside each other at some point in their careers, Anthony to OKC is a long shot proposal. Houston remains the leader for Anthony because any deal involving the Knicks and Cavaliers would require trading Cavs guard Kyrie Irving to New York. Playing on a Cavs team which would be depleted at guard without Irving is something Anthony wasn’t prepared to do as of Tuesday, per Begley’s report.
The door isn’t closed on Anthony to Oklahoma City, but Houston’s chances of landing the 10-time All-Star forward are still the best. Anthony has a no-trade clause, so he can ultimately decide where he ends up should the Knicks want to make a trade.
A deal for Anthony also is contingent on the Knicks getting what they feel is adequate value in return. Anthony is making $26.2 million in the final guaranteed season of his contract. Anthony also has an early termination option for 2018-19 he could exercise in order to become a free agent in the summer of 2018, as well as a 15-percent trade bonus in his contract in which he’d receive close to $4 million from the Knicks if he’s traded before the season starts. Anthony has the right to waive his trade bonus, however.
“What is clear is that the Knicks, under president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry, are committed to holding out for the best possible deal they can get from the Rockets or any other team,” Begley wrote.
OKC trade limitations
The Thunder might not be finished making personnel moves this summer.
But there are some restrictions on the ones it can make.
What some armchair general managers seemed not to understand is that not every player on the Thunder roster is eligible to be traded. The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement puts limitations on the movement of newly signed players.
This isn’t to suggest the Thunder actually wants to deal any of its new acquisitions. But even if it did, there are some cases where it couldn’t. Among the players who have or ultimately could have restrictions:
Patrick Patterson and Raymond Felton: Because the Thunder signed these two as free agents, OKC is prohibited from trading them until Dec. 15. The CBA dictates that free-agent signees can’t be traded until three months after they’ve signed or Dec. 15, whichever is later.
Andre Roberson: There’s an even longer restriction on some free-agent signings, and Roberson can’t be dealt until Jan. 15. That’s because the Thunder was above the salary cap at the time of Roberson’s signing and his raise was greater than 20 percent. Those conditions trigger a restriction that prohibits a player from being traded for three months after he signs or Jan. 15, whichever is later.
Terrance Ferguson: The Thunder’s first-round draft pick is unsigned and therefore eligible to be traded. But if he signs a contract with the Thunder, he couldn’t be traded until 30 days after the signing. In 2014, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed first-round pick Andrew Wiggins to a contract on July 24 and 30 days later traded him to Minnesota as part of the Kevin Love trade.
Dakari Johnson: The Thunder’s 2015 second-round pick signed a two-year contract on Saturday. The team would not be permitted to trade him until 30 days after his signing date.
Russell Westbrook: In the unlikely event that the Thunder wanted to trade Westbrook, it could. But if he signs the massive designated player contract extension that’s available to him, he can’t be traded until a year after the signing.