LeBron James wants the Cleveland Cavaliers to add a playmaker. Carmelo Anthony's relationship with the New York Knicks is complicated. Thousands of words have been written about James and Anthony's friendship. Regardless of how little sense it makes for the Cavaliers and Knicks to make a trade, there has been speculation that it's a possibility, starting with Phil Jackson's friend, Charley Rosen, writing that Anthony would waive his no-trade clause for only two teams: the Cavs and the Los Angeles Clippers.

ESPN's Ryen Russilo, however, is reporting that there is no chance Anthony will wind up in Cleveland, as the defending champs simply aren't interested:


A few thoughts here:

  • The idea of the Cavs trading Kevin Love for Anthony is hilarious. Love is in the middle of his best season since he left the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he's four years younger than Anthony. There is no indication Cleveland is trying to trade Love, but if the front office were to move him, you'd think general manager David Griffin would be looking primarily for a versatile, two-way player. Anthony is not that, and this kind of swap would hurt the Cavs' rebounding, ball movement, spacing and defense.
  • If Love isn't involved, it's extremely difficult to make a trade work. Would the Knicks consider Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert to be a good return for Anthony? Would Cleveland even be willing to part with Thompson? The idea of Shumpert, J.R. Smith or Channing Frye returning to Madison Square Garden in a lopsided Anthony trade is funny, but it's not particularly realistic.
  • As stupid as all of this sounds, it is actually pretty fun to imagine Anthony on this particular Cavs team -- as long as Love gets to stay. Anthony would get more open looks than he's had in years, and coach Tyronn Lue would have him exploit one-on-one mismatches the way he did in last year's playoffs. Despite all the pressure on the team, Anthony would carry much less of an individual burden than he does now. I don't blame people for thinking about how he'd fit, even though it's almost certainly not going to happen.
  • I wish I had an alternative landing spot for Anthony. It's pretty much impossible to find a destination that really makes sense for both New York and the other side.