When two teams are each desperate to trade a player, sometimes it can provide the most ideal pairing. That seems to be the case between the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City Thunder who could soon match up on a deal to unload unwanted stars.
According to Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News, the Hawks and Thunder have discussed a swap that would send forward Carmelo Anthony to Atlanta in exchange for guard Dennis Schroder and forward Mike Muscala.
Oklahoma City and Atlanta in trade talks, with Thunder targeting Dennis Schroder and Mike Muscala, per sources. Carmelo Anthony would go to Atlanta, with Hawks doing buyout. Atl looking to add asset to make Melo’s buyout a wash. Getting rid of Schroder is No. 1 priority.
— Mitch Lawrence (@Mitch_Lawrence) July 18, 2018
For Atlanta, the move would allow them to dump Schroder and free up significant minutes for No. 5 overall pick Trae Young as its starting point guard. The move would also allow Atlanta to get out of the remaining $46.5 million total Schroder is owed for the next three seasons.
In exchange, Atlanta would take Anthony’s contract off Oklahoma City’s books. The Hawks would then work a buyout with Anthony immediately.
From Oklahoma City’s perspective, a move like this would give them an excellent backup point guard behind Russell Westbrook. While Schroder’s contract would still hurt against the team’s tax bill, it would come at a reduced rate compared to Anthony still being on the roster.