In what right now seems like a fantasy realm delusion, there’s a chance that in the next couple of months the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers will begin discussions regarding a trade that will see Carmelo Anthony and Blake Griffin exchange places.
How real is this? According to Chris Broussard, both teams are holding internal discussion regarding the pros and cons of trading one of these players. It wouldn’t be that surprising to see the Knicks go in that direction. Anthony is their best player and a marquee name, but he has the chance to hit free agency at the end of the season. With the Knicks last in the Atlantic division at the moment (10-21) and Anthony acting all mysterious about making up his mind regarding the future, it’s worth thinking about trading him and not letting him go for nothing.
It’s a bit harder to see the Clippers trading Griffin. He’s been showing yet another level of improvement this season and has been averaging 29.2 points and 10.6 rebounds over the last five games. He’s still not a do-it-all big man and sometimes even a defensive liability, but he’s become much more than just a dunking machine, not to mention being one of the most popular players in the league.
However, if things begin going south for the Clippers in the next few weeks (Chris Paul out for around a month with a separated shoulder), the front office’s opinion on trading Griffin (right now they’re against it) might change very quickly. There’s also the rumor that Paul would very much like to play with Anthony on the same team, and we already know he has the power to move things within the organization, like firing a head coach.
The Knicks top priority at the moment is re-signing Anthony on a long term deal. However, if they feel like he’s leaning towards leaving the team at the end of the season and opting out of his contract, they might start considering trading him a bit more seriously. Griffin is locked in until the 2018 summer, making $18.9 million on average over the next five seasons.