Previous NBA rumors had the Blazers believed to help Houston get Melo, but now, they’re the ones who want Carmelo.
For a few weeks, NBA rumors have swirled around Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks. A three-team trade was previously thought to be going on.
The Blazers were to help by sending assets to New York so Houston could get Melo. This adds to their already stout backcourt of James Harden and newly-acquired Chris Paul.
The third team involved isn’t 100% clear, but almost every report points to the Portland Trail Blazers. The team has young pieces that attract New York (Moe Harkless, Allen Crabbe and Meyers Leonard).
They’d look to unload those contracts to take on players Houston (Ryan Anderson, Trevor Ariza) to make the cap work.
Not so fast, though.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Blazers are only interested in acquiring Anthony for themselves.
"One team that New York and Houston had hoped would facilitate a multiteam trade for Anthony, the Portland Trail Blazers, plans to participate in a deal for Anthony only if he decides to expand his no-trade clause to include them, league sources told ESPN."
Anthony reportedly will only waive his clause for the Rockets or Cavaliers. However, Portland seems confident they may be able to persuade Anthony to come to Rip City.
Earlier this week, trade talks between the Knicks and Rockets had went dormant. But, not before New York had let Anthony know he was most likely going to be getting shipped away.
Whether they told him he was going to Houston or not is yet to be determined, so Portland as a possible destination is still in play.
More so, talks could have subsided after Olshey let the Knicks front office know that Portland wants Anthony.
What this means going forward
Woj’s report from today focused around Anthony’s expectations to be traded to Houston.
My best guess is that the sides had stopped talking briefly while the Knicks’ new GM, Steve Mills, assessed the team while getting settled in.
But, they could have halted due to the new wants by Portland; any Blazer fan should be happy Portland is trying to make aggressive moves.
If Anthony were to find his way to the Blazers, a four-headed monster would be created.
A starting lineup including Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Jusuf Nurkić and Anthony would compete heavily in the West. Which says a lot, especially due to the recent increase in talent.
Portland may not have the assets to get Anthony, however, since some (Crabbe, Evan Turner and Leonard) have bad contracts tied to them.
Next: Blazers looking at ad patches next season
Could this spell a new era and championship run for Rip City? Or is this a hyperbolic report involving a third-party in a blockbuster trade?
Keep your eyes peeled on Rip City Project as we will continue to follow these NBA rumors. Also be sure to follow Woj on Twitter, as he is always dropping bombs.