OK3 was doomed to fail:
His single season with the Thunder fell well short of expectations. At the time he formed what the franchise hoped would become a big three with Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The trio was nicknamed the OK3. While there were moments for the new triumvirate they never fully lived up to the preseason hype nor will they find themselves on a shortlist of best trios to ever play.
By the time the Thunder arrived at the postseason, there were already questions about Anthony’s defensive shortcomings. Although OKC was favored over the younger, inexperienced Jazz the series was over in a blink with Utah sending the Thunder to an early offseason vacation.
Melo specifically became a problem as Quin Snyder had Donovan Mitchell repeatedly isolate on him for an offensive advantage. It was almost a deja vu for Coach Donovan who in 2017 versus the Rockets infamously claimed ‘can’t play Kanter’ when Enes Kanter was getting roasted on defense.
Although there aren’t memes and gifs of the same exchange by Donovan from the 2018 series the result was precisely the same. The Thunder coach tried to milk Melo’s offense to help the team win but even in that regard Jerami Grant outplayed Anthony and was substantially better defensively. It resulted in the coach benching Melo, particularly in crucial moments such as Game 5 when the Thunder erased a 25 point deficit and again late in Game 6 when the Jazz clinched the series.
Ultimately, the franchise recognized the shortcomings of the forward at least in terms of the system they ran and decided the experiment was a failure. Entering the 2018-19 season Sam Presti knew he needed to move Anthony but the forward had the right to approve any trade. That factor combined with Melo’s healthy salary limited the GM’s options.
Fortunately, the Houston Rockets were still desirous of Anthony’s services. Presti worked a deal with the Atlanta Hawks who had the money available for a buy out that would pave the way for Melo to join the Rockets.
It should be noted what an amazing feat Presti pulled off given that trade returned Dennis Schroder who became an integral part of the OKC Thunder rotation, especially this season.