Carmelo Anthony left the New York Knicks one year ago. What has the result been?
As the New York Knicks entered 2017 training camp, they faced the dilemma of Carmelo Anthony’s status, due to a relationship that frayed under former president of basketball operations Phil Jackson. The front office wanted a deal, but a no-trade clause was in the way.
However, before Knicks Media Day 2017, the team sent Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick.
This trade featured ripple effects through the 2017-18 season and even into the 2018 offseason. Two of the three pieces play elsewhere, as well, which muddies how to look at this deal after one year.
Carmelo Anthony
The headline player, the Knicks traded Anthony after parts of seven seasons with the organization. From the lucrative contract former president of basketball operations, Phil Jackson, gave him, to the public spat that ensued for a trade, a situation developed that needed to be resolved.
Even after Jackson’s departure, the Steve Mills-Scott Perry front office chose to move away from Anthony, who waived his no-trade clause after much drama to go to Oklahoma City, where Russell Westbrook and Paul George waited.
More from Knicks History
- Ranking the 6 Worst Knicks starters of the Carmelo Anthony era
- 11 Player signings the New York Knicks never should’ve made
- 13 Players the New York Knicks held onto for too long
- 10 Biggest offseason blunders in New York Knicks history
- Ranking the 4 worst coaching hires in New York Knicks history
Anthony’s season with the Thunder did not go smoothly, though, with a career-low 40.4 percent shooting and 16.2 points. A drop-off was expected, but the shooting percentage fell off compared to how he performed in New York.
Anthony stayed healthy and played 78 games, all of which were starts because he refused to come off the bench, as noted by The Undefeated.
After Oklahoma City departed from the playoffs, Sean Deveney of Sporting News reported the organization’s desire to remove Anthony from the roster. Later that summer, it resulted in a three-team deal with the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks, who completed a buyout with the 10-time All-Star.
The Houston Rockets eventually signed Anthony to a minimum-salary deal, and now he’s willing to come off the bench, according to USA Today. It’s a change in mindset from the past year, but will it stick?
Enes Kanter
Enes Kanter was the main piece New York received from Oklahoma City—a center who posted gaudy numbers in points, rebounds and field goal percentage in the previous two-and-a-half seasons. Steven Adams emerged as the starting five for the Thunder, however, due to his defensive presence.
The Knicks immediately inserted the social media-loving Kanter into the starting lineup, where he remained for all 71 appearances, and averaged 14.1 points and 11 rebounds. It was the first time the Turkish big man finished with a double-double line for a full season.
Kanter stood out for his work under the hoop, but his offseason decision to stay created more headlines, after exercising a player option for the 2018-19 season that pays him a team-high $18.6 million salary.
Now, with “hard” playoff aspirations, Kanter wants to find success in New York and attract other free agents, even with his own trip to the open market ahead.
Doug McDermott
Doug McDermott was a star at Creighton but has settled into a reserve role in the NBA to shoot three-pointers early and often. For 55 games, he did this for the New York Knicks.
With 7.2 points per game on 46 percent shooting and 38.7 percent from three-point range, McDermott fulfilled the role he held with the Chicago Bulls and Thunder. Not much was offered defensively, with a 115 Defensive Rating, but he spread the floor for a Knicks team that sat at No. 25 in the NBA in three-point shooting.
At February’s trade deadline, New York sent McDermott to the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team trade. He shot a spectacular 49.4 percent from three-point range and averaged 9 points per game.
McDermott left for his fifth team in the offseason, though on a three-year deal with the Indiana Pacers. After three trades in less than one year, he will look to stick in Indiana for the foreseeable future.
The second round pick
While the NBA players were the focus, the 2018 second-round pick New York received sat as an afterthought, due to the infrequent success of these selections.
With the Thunder’s pick, which they received from the Bulls, it became Mitchell Robinson, who opted out of a commitment to Western Kentucky and awaited the 2018 NBA Draft. He entered the league as a seven-foot center.
In a short summer-league stint, Robinson averaged 13 points and 10.2 rebounds per game to potentially showcase what he can bring to the Knicks. The rookie even received praise that compared him to a legendary center.
Robinson has yet to play an NBA game, but the initial future is bright. If he finds success, it can remake how this deal looks in the next 3-5 years.
The Anthony trade of 2017 went in different directions for all players involved. By July, they may all be in new places if Kanter leaves the Knicks, which scrubs out any winners or losers. With the events that preceded the move, would that even be an issue?