New York Knicks: Ranking the last five trades made

1. Carmelo Anthony traded to Thunder

After a few years of public disputes with New York Knicks management, Carmelo Anthony was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick that became Mitchell Robinson.

Anthony was sent by the management that succeeded the Jackson era, which created the hoopla. They still moved on from the multi-time All-Star, as he joined Russell Westbrook and Paul George on the 2017-18 Thunder.

Well, that situation never exactly worked out. Anthony never fit these superstars, moving to the unusual third spot in the scoring pecking order; he was always the “Batman” or “Robin” in his previous 14 NBA seasons.

Anthony eventually refused a move to the bench, and Oklahoma City moved him to the Atlanta Hawks, who then bought him out, in a three-team deal. That followed with a disparaging 10-game stint on the Houston Rockets in 2018-19, and he has not played in six weeks.

The Knicks’ side could not have worked out better, at least as it stands now.

Kanter might have defensive deficiencies and no part in the team’s future, but he has still averaged a double-double per game as a capable offensive center. Entering Monday’s game, he had 15.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per contest.

McDermott only spent 55 games with the Knicks. In a reserve role, he shot 46.0 percent and 38.7 percent on three-pointers for 7.2 points.

The real prize is Robinson, who went in the top half of the second round. His defensive potential has already been on display, including a nine-block game. The team has him for at least three more seasons, too, as their center of the future and an athletic big man that gives defenses trouble, especially when he hones his raw skills.

With Anthony’s short run in Oklahoma City and the still-developing outlook for the Knicks, they made out well in this trade. It pushed forward the rebuild and has them in the proper direction.

Future opportunities will arise for the New York Knicks to make another trade. How will it compare to these previous five deals?