San Antonio Spurs
Gregg Popovich has found a way to appeal to both old school and new school fans. He readily acknowledges the gimmicky nature of some modern trends, but never seems to shy away from how important it is to adapt or die.
In this scenario, the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs would swap high-cost stars in an attempt to create a necessary spark.
Carmelo Anthony would feast in a system that’s both established and committed to. He could work off-ball as a complement to Kawhi Leonard, or on-ball in sets that would enable him to create without nearly as much pressure as he’s faced in New York.
The best years of Anthony’s career have been spent at power forward, and his scoring punch would fill the void left by LaMarcus Aldridge.
The Knicks would get a costly big man, but Aldridge is still one of the Top 30 players in the NBA during a bad year. He’d be an ideal complement and mentor to Kristaps Porzingis, and may look to enter free agency in 2018 if he feels he can get more money than his player option guarantees.
There would likely need to be more to this trade than a straight swap, but Anthony would feast and Aldridge would likely prosper in this scenario.