Knicks Deal Carmelo Anthony to Thunder

In the most sudden twist of events, Carmelo Anthony has been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. According to multiple reports, the Knicks will receive Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott as well as a second-round pick. The deal will become official on Monday with Anthony waiving his no trade clause for his new team. All of this puts an end to the turbulent drama surrounding the All-Star forward for the past several months

This trade comes the one after Anthony agreed to waive his no-trade clause for the Cleveland Cavaliers. A trade was promised to happen before the start of the regular season, but I don’t think anyone expected this quick of a turnaround. The Thunder as a landing spot comes almost out of left field, save for the fact that during the offseason a rumor surfaced that Anthony would end up going to the Thunder. That was merely considered to be highly speculative, but clearly it contained more truth than anyone would have guessed. The front-running trade partner for a long time was the Houston Rockets, with the Cavaliers coming on late as a favorable option. The Thunder emerging as the trade destination for Anthony has to have some fans scratching their heads.

Perhaps it is too early to say which team ended up with the better end of the trade, but for all intents and purposes it looks like the Thunder won this deal. Adding Anthony to fellow All-Stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George could leave Oklahoma City in the running for the second-best team in the West.  On New York’s side, Kanter and McDermott will probably end up playing in the same capacity as they did for Oklahoma City. The Knicks have an abundance of frontcourt depth but are very inexperienced in the backcourt.

The impact of the second-round pick is obviously yet to be determined. This trade does not shake up much in the way of the Knicks’ plan for their young core. Kristaps Porzingis, Frank Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Willy Hernangomez will continue to be the focus for the organization, with the new additions somehow fitting in around them. There is no question that Porzingis is the new face of the franchise. Time will tell the full ramifications of the deal, but until then Knicks fans can find some kind solace in the fact that the Melo drama is finally over.