Thunder has options
Will OKC keep, trade or buy out Carmelo Anthony in the off-season?
The Thunder’s trade for Carmelo Anthony was a gamble from the onset.
For seven months, Anthony tried to fit into what the Thunder wanted from him (with some isolation ball deviation mixed in) and it didn’t work. What Anthony said on Saturday doesn’t fit OKC’s philosophy or plan, but the financials and his control are even more of an issue.
Here are the Thunder’s options on what it can do with Anthony this offseason:
Keep him
The issue with keeping Anthony: He made it very clear Saturday he wants to perform a different, more involved role in his second season in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder preached all year about Anthony’s sacrifice, and it was somewhat true. Anthony agreed to a trade from New York to escape a toxic situation with the Knicks. He sacrificed shots (down nearly four attempts per game from the previous season) and touches to try to become a catch-and-shoot 3-point shooting threat. Anthony shot a solid 37.3 percent on catch-andshoot 3-pointers.
Sure, it’s April, and a lot can change between now and the start of the regular season. Anthony could come back in September ready to sacrifice again, but as of Saturday, Anthony said he’s done with sacrifice.
“It’s something I really have to think about, if I really want to be this type of player, finish out my career as this type of player, knowing that I have so much left in the tank and I bring so much to the game of basketball,” Anthony said.
But Anthony shot a career-low 40.4 percent from the field and was a liability defensively. Jerami Grant, a 24-yearold free agent, is blossoming and needs to play more than Anthony. Patrick Patterson has two years remaining on his contract and he could stand to get more of Anthony’s minutes, too.
But Anthony has the power: a player option for $27.9 million next season and a no-trade clause. So, if the Thunder keeps him, it’ll have to convince him he can be more successful at the role he showed disdain for in his exit interviews, or Anthony, who will be 34 on May 29, will have to come back a better defender and shooter.
What are the chances of that? What are the chances Anthony causes a ruckus if he returns next season and plays less?
Buy him out
If Anthony picks up that $27.9 million option, the Thunder can essentially pay him to go home.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be for $27.9 million, either. The Thunder and Anthony could negotiate a buyout for a smaller number.
This might be addition by subtraction. Yes, Anthony’s relationship with Russell Westbrook and Paul George is solid, and may play a role in George returning to Oklahoma City, in which Anthony’s place would be further justified. But if the Thunder prioritizes putting out the best possible team, Grant has to play more. That may mean cutting the loss and simply getting Anthony out of the locker room if he’s not fully on board.
Trade him
This probably is the least likely scenario, in part because few teams likely want to pay Anthony nearly $28 million next season, given the trend in his production. The potential exception might be a team looking to get off a long-term contract, if the Thunder were willing to take on that money in exchange for getting out of one year of Anthony’s deal.
But Anthony also has a no-trade clause, meaning that even if there are takers, he can veto any deal, giving him complete control over his destination.
Stretch him
If the Thunder wants to
part ways with Anthony but not take a $27.9 million cap hit next season, it could employ the NBA’s stretch provision.
Under the provision, the team would waive Anthony and stretch his remaining salary and cap hit. By rule, if it waived him between July 1 and Aug. 31, the payment would be stretched over three seasons — twice the number of years remaining on the deal plus one.
In that situation, Anthony still would count against the Thunder’s team salary, but instead of a single $27.9 million hit, Oklahoma City would have about $9.3 million in salary on the books for each of the next three seasons, which would count against its cap and count toward the luxury tax.
If the Thunder were to reach a buyout agreement with Anthony on some amount less than the full $27.9 million, it also could opt to stretch that settlement amount over a period of years.