Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

Thunder acquire Carmelo Anthony for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott

By Tony Heim

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 31: Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks looks on during a NBA game against the Miami Heat on March 31, 2017 at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ron Elkman/NHL/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 31: Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks looks on during a NBA game against the Miami Heat on March 31, 2017 at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ron Elkman/NHL/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 11: New York Knick forward Carmelo Anthony and OKC Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook attend Black Ops Basketball Session at Life Time Athletic At Sky on September 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 11: New York Knick forward Carmelo Anthony and OKC Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook attend Black Ops Basketball Session at Life Time Athletic At Sky on September 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images) /

There’s officially another superteam in the NBA – the OKC Thunder acquired Carmelo Anthony to complete their Big Three.

I’ll let Woj take this one:

The Carmelo Anthony saga is finally over. And the Thunder came out on top. Woj reported last night that Melo would waive his no trade clause for three teams: the Thunder, Rockets and Cavaliers. The Knicks were never interested in Ryan Anderson and the Cavaliers assuredly didn;t offer Brooklyn’s #1 pick – once Melo asked to be moved before training camp it made the decision easy for the Knicks.

For all of Enes Kanter’s deficiencies, he is an offensive wizard down-low. Pairing him next to a 7’3 shot-blocker/floor spacer is the perfect situation for Kanter. New York then opted for Doug McDermott over the Jerami Grant/Kyle Singler combination to increase the floor spacing – that’s great news for Oklahoma City. Grant’s defense will be more valuable for this new Thunder team than McDermott’s shooting.

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The pick is the 2018 Bulls Second Rounder, the pick they acquired in the trade for Doug McDermott/Cameron Payne. Think about this: Sam Presti turned Payne and Enes Kanter into a half season of Taj Gibson AND Carmelo Anthony. The best GM in the league strikes again.

The Thunder are now primed to contend with the Warriors for an NBA Championship. They now have the offensive firepower and defensive firepower to match Golden State. They can role out two elite isolation players while another rests on the bench – expect Carmelo to feast on NBA benches all season.

Oklahoma City and New York meet in the season opener on October 19th.

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