With Carmelo Anthony officially opting into his $27.9 million contract, its time to evaluate if trading for Anthony is the worst move General Manager Sam Presti has made.
Surprise, surprise: Carmelo Anthony wanted to make nearly 28 million dollars. As it stands right now, he will be on the Thunder this upcoming season. This puts the team in a difficult situation regarding their cap space and ability to make any moves.
Putting the cap aside, Melo was a major disappointment last season. He had career-lows in points (16.7) and assists (1.3) per game. His 40.4 field goal percentage was also the worst of his 15 year career.
With Melo in, Thunder is over the projected $101 million salary cap with its current top 5 players in salary for 2018-19 (not accounting for free agents. Ex. PG, Grant).
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) June 23, 2018
Westbrook: $35.3 m
Anthony: $27.9 m
Adams: $24.1 m
Roberson: $10 m
Abrines: $5.4 m
Total: $102.8 m
The Advanced stats weren’t any kinder. Anthony’s 12.7 player efficiency rating was the lowest of his career by far, and for the first time, was below 15, the threshold for what is considered an average player. His 3.7 win shares was the lowest of his career. And perhaps most disturbing, for the first time, had a negative value of replacement player rating of -1.1
No matter how you look at it, Melo was a major liability last season who wasn’t able to live up to expectations. If Melo is on the team next year, it’s hard to imagine him getting any better, especially after his eye-opening exit interview, where he essentially said he was tired of sacrificing.
Assuming this trade can’t be salvaged, it’s time to examine whether or not trading for Anthony was the worst move by Sam Presti during his tenure as the Thunder’s general manager.