By Maximillian C. Burgos | Staff Writer
Carmelo Anthony was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round draft pick on Saturday.
Anthony is going from a team that couldn’t win a game with him on the court anymore to a team that is in the hunt for a ring. The talent on the New York Knicks was not enough for Anthony to be able carry the team into the playoffs, like he did previously.
Many Knicks fans hoped that Anthony would return to the Knicks, so that they could have some glimmer of hope in the upcoming season, but under new team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry, there is a focus on youth and the future. Anthony doesn’t fit in to that future in New York.
Anthony made it clear that he wouldn’t be traded unless it was to the Houston Rockets or the Cleveland Cavilers, but he ultimately agreed to go to the Thunder after waiving his no-trade clause and an $8.5 million trade kicker.
The Thunder will have the talent around Anthony that will finally help the 33-year old veteran shine above in his position. When Anthony came to New York in 2011, he was a glimmering beckon of hope for the future. The team traded a lot of its assets in order to get him, which ultimately hurt them in the long run, not allowing them to build a good enough team around him.
Anthony took the Knicks to the playoff in his first three seasons in New York and even to the second-round in 2013, but the success has not been the same since.
Anthony did make the All-Star game in 2017 when Kevin Love was ruled out with a knee-injury.
On the Thunder, Anthony will play a similar rule to the that of which he played on the Olympic team. He will be a spot-up shooter, a role that he has shown the ability to excel at. His three gold medals speak for themselves.
Anthony after last season is a member of the top 25 careering scoring list in the NBA, no small feat. Anthony can finally complete at the level he’s always wanted to complete at on the Thunder.
Last year was not Anthony’s best year, where he finished with an average of 22.4 points, which is well-below his career average of 24.8.
With last season behind him, Anthony can finally look to the future and hope that his team around him can finally succeed, something that has alluded him so long.
Maybe the Thunder can finally show Anthony what it feels like to be a winner.
