Report: Knicks Proposed Anthony-For-Love Swap With Cavaliers
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's been well-documented that Carmelo Anthony's contract with the Knicks has a full no-trade clause, but that apparently hasn't stopped the team from pursuing a potential deal.
According to ESPN, the Knicks floated the idea to the Cavaliers of trading Anthony for three-time All-Star power forward Kevin Love, but Cleveland wasn't interested.
The Knicks can only deal Anthony if he waives his no-trade clause. League sources told ESPN that if the Cavaliers had been interested in the trade, the Knicks would have then approached Anthony.
The NBA's trade deadline is Feb. 23.
Word of the trade talks comes a week after Anthony told president Phil Jackson that he wants to remain a Knick. The meeting came, at Anthony's request, after Charley Rosen, one of Jackson's closest confidants, wrote a column saying Anthony "has outlived his usefulness in New York."
When asked by reporters Wednesday if he got the sense the Knicks still wanted him, Anthony said: "It was a quick meeting. That's all I can say."
LeBron James spoke Monday night about how the Cavaliers hadn't done enough to improve their roster and that the team needed another playmaker, leading to speculation that James might have been referring to Anthony, a close friend of his.
ESPN reported that the Cavs are not prepared to give up Love, who helped the franchise win its first championship last season. Also, it likely would not satisfy James' wish for upgrading the roster if the Cavs had to give up Love (20.5 ppg, 10.9 rpg) in exchange for Anthony (22.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg).
It will be interesting to see how Anthony will react to news that the Knicks have shopped him around despite him expressing his desire to remain in New York. He and Jackson already have had a rocky relationship this season, which included the exec criticizing his star player on national TV for holding the ball too long.
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Anthony said Wednesday that, while he does think James would like to team up with him at some point, he has not though about the possibility of joining Cleveland. While he has consistently said he is committed to winning with the Knicks, Anthony also has expressed a desire to win a championship before his career ends.
"I don't think it would be called kind of chasing a ring," Anthony told reporters, according to ESPN. "I think it would be looking at opportunities and situations, if and when that time (does) come. I think it would be a collective effort on all fronts, not just mine. I think it would be a collective effort on the organization and understanding the direction that they want to go."
