Report: Knicks agree to trade Carmelo to Thunder
The Melo-Drama is over.
The New York Knicks have reportedly agreed to send Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a package that includes Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and a draft pick, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Anthony is expected to waive both his no-trade clause and trade kicker to facilitate the deal, which will be made official after a call to the league office on Monday.
The Thunder will send New York the Chicago Bulls' 2018 second-round pick, according to The Vertical's Shams Charania.
Anthony had reportedly informed the Knicks in July he did not wish to return to the franchise for the 2017-18 season. The overture from Anthony's camp reportedly reached a crescendo this week ahead of the team's Media Day on Monday. While Anthony had allegedly set his sights on joining the Houston Rockets, he relented on his demand, eventually adding the Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers to the list of teams he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause to join.
Drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the No. 3 pick in 2003, Anthony quickly blossomed into an All-Star, but his superstar status was truly cemented in Feb. 22, 2011 upon his trade to the Knicks. After finding immediate success, including three straight playoff appearances, Anthony's outlook with the franchise dampened in recent years, particularly as his relationship with former team president Phil Jackson began to fray.
Related: 5 awful decisions that defined Phil Jackson's tenure with Knicks
Ironically, it was Jackson who included the no-trade clause in Anthony's contract, which ultimately served to make it extremely difficult to trade the 33-year-old forward without Anthony's blessing.
Through parts of seven seasons in the Big Apple, Anthony averaged 24.7 points, seven rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. He was selected to the All-Star Game each year, and led the league in scoring during the 2012-13 season.
With the Thunder, Anthony will form a potent three-superstar unit with reigning MVP Russell Westbrook and two-way wing Paul George, who was acquired via trade from the Indiana Pacers earlier this summer.
Altogether, Westbrook, George, and Anthony can boast a trophy cabinet featuring 20 All-Star selections, 15 All-NBA team selections, three All-Defensive team selections, three scoring titles, and an MVP Award. None managed to capture an elusive championship, however; Westbrook and the Thunder lost to the Miami Heat in his only Finals appearance in 2012.