New York Knicks: Designing an ideal Carmelo Anthony trade with Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers have publicly attempted to recruit Carmelo Anthony. What might an ideal trade look like with Portland?
The New York Knicks are in the midst of an offseason that could mark the end of an era. Carmelo Anthony has been the face of the franchise for the past seven years, but new general manager Scott Perry has placed him on the trading block.
Anthony reportedly has just one team that he’s willing to be traded to, but several organizations have expressed interest in acquiring the 10-time All-Star.
No organization has expressed a more feverish interest in acquiring Anthony than the Portland Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum have both made public comments about wanting Portland to trade for the Knicks star.
McCollum went as far as posting an image of Anthony in a Trail Blazers jersey to his official Instagram account.
Shortly thereafter, Damian Lillard told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian that he reached out to Anthony and expressed that he wants to play with the three-time Olympic gold medalist.
"“I spoke to him,” Lillard said. “Because, obviously, he makes us a better team. Obviously with that being out there and that being a real possibility, I don’t see why I wouldn’t reach out to him and let him know the interest is mutual if he’s interested in us.”"
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Lillard and McCollum are making progress towards convincing Anthony to accept a trade to Portland.
"CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard have done a good job of recruiting Carmelo Anthony, they've been on him." - @wojespn pic.twitter.com/hoM6MnQnN6
— Carlin vs. Joe (@CarlinvsJoe) August 11, 2017
With the two faces of the franchise publicly expressing interest in Anthony, it stands to reason that Portland would be willing to explore a potential trade.
Anthony hasn’t yet expressed mutual interest in joining Lillard and McCollum in Portland. He is, however, working out with McCollum during the 2017 offseason, which indicates that a personal bond exists.
If Carmelo Anthony warms up to the idea of playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, then one question will remain: What would an ideal trade look like for the New York Knicks?