New York Knicks: Designing an ideal Carmelo Anthony trade to New Orleans Pelicans

The Trade

This may seem like a copout, but the reality here is that this trade just isn’t realistic. The New Orleans Pelicans would need to move either, if not both, Omer Asik or Solomon Hill, and both contracts rank amongst the most unmovable in the NBA.

I apologize if this article seems like a waste of time, but the truth is: Turnouts like this are exactly why these articles are produced.

We’re not going to design the best option on a list of bad options. If an ideal trade can’t be created for both the New York Knicks and a potential trade partner, then there’s no reason to pretend that getting back Asik or Hill’s contracts would be worth the cost of doing business.

Trading Anthony may be viewed as a way to improve the future, but if the trade itself doesn’t do that, then why bother?

The Pelicans may want to trade for Anthony, but doing so isn’t as easy as wishing for it to transpire. Until a team makes it clear that it wants Asik or Hill, or Jrue Holiday is made available—and January 14 is the earliest that such could transpire—this won’t happen.

The Knicks could answer the phone and entertain a trade, but the Pelicans simply lack the assets beyond a 2019 first-round draft pick to get this done.

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The goal of these articles is to design an ideal trade, but the New York Knicks and New Orleans Pelicans wouldn’t be able to do so.