New York Knicks: Five Mutually Beneficial Carmelo Anthony Trades

1. Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge is in the market for a scorer who can elevate a borderline contender to legitimacy. Isaiah Thomas is playing at an All-NBA level, Al Horford could be an All-Star, and Avery Bradley is defending as well as any player in the Association.

In a trade that would enable Boston to keep its core, the New York Knicks could trade Carmelo Anthony and position itself for a glorious rebuild.

This is a win-win scenario.

Anthony would join a Celtics team that would maintain its core of Bradley, Horford, and Thomas. Boston would also keep a vast majority of its depth, including Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, all the while adding one of the NBA’s premier scorers.

Coupled with the opportunity to play for revered head coach Brad Stevens, Anthony wouldn’t find many opportunities better than this.

For New York, the appeal of this trade would be the addition of Jae Crowder, the acquisition of the Brooklyn Nets’ 2017 first-round draft pick, and the creation of cap space. Brooklyn, of course, has the worst record in the NBA.

Thus, it could potentially net the Knicks the No. 1 pick in the stacked 2017 NBA Draft and give New York two 2017 first-rounders to complement Kristaps Porzingis with.

As for Crowder, he’s one of the most versatile players in the NBA, as well as a rugged defender whom Phil Jackson has publicly praised. He would immediately improve the Knicks’ defense.

From a financial perspective. Jonas Jerebko and Amir Johnson are both pending free agents who would create $17 million in cap space.

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Trading Carmelo Anthony may not prove to be the right decision, but there are a number of intriguing moves for both he and the New York Knicks to consider.