FINALLY! KNICKS MOVE 'MELO--TO OKC
The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired combo forward Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks for forward / center Enes Kanter, small forward Doug McDermott, and a 2nd-round draft pick in 2018.
What does it give the Oklahoma City Thunder
This trade makes it clear that the Thunder wants to accomplish two major objectives this season: first, to be a legitimate contender in the stacked Western Conference; and second, to re-create a culture of winning that might convince superstars Anthony, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook to stick around after this season. All three have the option of leaving next summer, so it's win or bust for the OKC franchise. It's also a very expensive move that puts the Thunder more than $14 million over the NBA's luxury tax line. If it doesn't pay off, Oklahoma City might be turbo-accelerated into rebuilding mode a year from now.
What does it give the New York Knicks
It's very hard to see what the Knicks are trying to accomplish here, but that's not new for the long-beleaguered franchise. The good: they save some salary in moving Anthony's big contract in return for Kanter's and McDermott's. The not-so-good: it's baffling this rebuilding New York franchise didn't get any top young prospects or high-level draft picks in return for a superstar like Anthony--even if he's approaching the downside of his career. Kanter only further muddles the team's crowded big man rotation, and McDermott is a solid role player but not a star. The second-round pick in 2018 will almost surely bring another role player, so the Knicks somehow seem to go even futher backward.
Fantasy impact
From a fantasy hoops perspective, the only player on the Knicks or Thunder who gets an obvious upgrade is Kristaps Porzingis. With Anthony gone, Porzingis should see even more shot attempts than usual, which might vault him into a top-10 fantasy player in the coming campaign. McDermott might see a small boost in value as well. The departure of Anthony might have normally been great news for fantasy owners of the emerging Willy Hernangomez, but Kanter's arrival probably nullifies that. Meanwhile Anthony gets a significant downgrade with the move to OKC, because he now needs to share the ball with two high-usage fellow All-Stars (Paul and Westbrook). With that in mind, give small downgrades to Paul and Westbrook, who too will see fewer shot attempts now that Anthony is in the fold.
