The LeBron effect: Perfect time for OKC to shop Carmelo Anthony to LA

With LeBron James moving to LA and the Lakers active in NBA Free Agency, now is the time for the OKC Thunder to strike and shop Carmelo Anthony.

Now that LeBron James has removed his name from NBA Free Agency and moved West, its makes little sense for the OKC Thunder to be happy about it. However, the King’s shift has provided Oklahoma City a small window of opportunity.

It’s safe to say the OK3 experiment flopped and with OKC signing Jerami Grant to a multi-year deal, Carmelo Anthony‘s time appears to be coming to an end. Factor in the recent addition of Nerlens Noel and the front court is suddenly filling out.

Melo doesn’t do himself any favors with fanbase:

When Anthony opted into his contract, Oklahoma City fans went nuts. To make things worse, Melo trolled them on twitter.

These tweets are a questionable move by Anthony. Thunder fans are a loyal, tight-knit community and electing to publicly mock them may not have been the best decision. Now, the fanbase are clamoring for a trade. Lucky for them, there just might be one available.

The potential trade:

Los Angeles Lakers receive Carmelo Anthony
Oklahoma City receive Luol Deng + 2019 or 2021 first round pick

Note: prior to LeBron signing in LA, I examined three potential landing spots for Anthony. However, with James committing to the Lakers for the foreseeable future, this shifts them to the top of the list.

Why this makes sense for Los Angeles

Not only do they move off Deng’s terrible contract, they also receive a former All-Star who gets buckets. Despite the worst year of his career, Melo is still one of the best scorers the NBA has ever seen. He provides perimeter shooting to a roster light on marksmanship and provides James with an offensive weapon.

Additionally, Anthony’s 27.9-million-dollar contract expires at the end of the season. This provides the Lakers with future flexibility to target the free agent class of 2019. GM Magic Johnson said he would resign if the Lakers couldn’t land two premier free agents by next Summer thus trading 2-years, 36-million-dollars of Deng for one year of Melo is a win-win situation. With James signed for the next four seasons, the Lakers will be an attractive destination.

Why this makes sense for OKC

Moving Anthony’s contract has massive luxury tax ramifications. Depending on what Oklahoma City choose to do with Deng’s contract, the Thunder could save approximately 50-million-dollars with a trade.

Oklahoma City should seek a first round pick with the trade as LA stands to be the primary beneficiary. Sure, LA loses a pick but they gain freedom to approach free agents next year. OKC moves a disgruntled Anthony to a better situation and fans can relax again.

Potential moves post-trade

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Oklahoma City could choose to stretch Deng’s contract over five seasons (two times the number of years plus one). This means OKC will be paying Deng 7.2-million dollars per year over five years. This saves the Thunder an additional 44-million-dollars in luxury tax.

If the Thunder can find a partner to dump Deng’s salary and attach a pick(s), OKC will pay just over 10-million-dollars in luxury tax. Clubs with cap room such as the Atlanta Hawks are rebuilding and willingly absorb bad contracts for picks. If Oklahoma City offer a 2019 first round pick, Deng’s contract is likely to be absorbed.

Final Word

OKC are in salary cap hell and will no doubt look to unload salary. A trade of Melo to Los Angeles kills two birds with one stone: it moves a disgruntled star unhappy in his role and it substantially reduces Oklahoma City’s luxury tax bill.

Next: Complete NBA Free Agency primer for all 30 teams

The Thunder must move quickly before the door closes. With Los Angeles splurging to fill out its roster, now is the perfect time to move Anthony to the City of Angels.