Carmelo Anthony might not be the answer for the Los Angeles Clippers, but that doesn't mean the talk is about to die down. While the New York Knicks star wasn't lying when he went all third-person on everybody and said, "Melo hasn't said anything yet" about leaving New York, he doesn't have to say anything. Reports have indicated that the Knicks are trying to figure out a way to move him despite the no-trade clause and the trade kicker built into his contract, and the Clippers would like to assemble a Big 4 featuring Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Anthony.
The latest on that front: The Knicks have no interest in Los Angeles guard Jamal Crawford, according to Forbes' Mitch Lawrence.
According to industry sources, the Knicks don't want to bring back Jamal Crawford, a player the Clips have offered. The ex-Knick still has three seasons at $45 million on his deal, and Jackson wants to avoid any lengthy deals. So the Clips and Knicks will need to find a third team to make the deal work, but it's all elementary, anyway. Anthony can use his no-trade clause to veto any deal.
Crawford is 36 years old and will make $14.2 million next season. He also has a $14.5 million salary in 2018-19, though only $3 million of that is guaranteed if he's waived at the end of next season. It's not hard to figure out why New York would be averse to adding him -- presumably, if it is trading away Anthony, it would like to get younger and maintain as much financial flexibility as possible.
The issue here is that the Clippers simply don't have a ton of contracts to trade. If their goal is competing for a championship this season, that means holding onto J.J. Redick's $7.4 million expiring contract. Outside of their Big 3, that leaves just Crawford's deal, Austin Rivers' $11 million salary and Wesley Johnson's $5.6 million salary. No one else on the roster makes more than Paul Pierce's $3.5 million this year.
Essentially, Crawford would have to be included in any trade that brings Anthony to the Clippers without Paul, Griffin, Jordan and Redick leaving town. That doesn't mean the three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner would have to go to New York, but it does mean that the Knicks and Clips would have to find him a new home in a three- or four-team trade. That kind of thing isn't easy, and in all likelihood the only teams that would want Crawford are contenders. That's why the Clippers are a complicated trade partner for New York here, and both Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers should receive some sort of award if they actually work out a fair deal. They have 20 days before the trade deadline.
