5. Knicks trade Carmelo Anthony to the Blazers for Allen Crabbe, Maurice Harkless and two first-round picks
Let’s be clear here. Phil Jackson’s public comments about wanting to trade Anthony has not done his Knicks any favors. In reality, Anthony’s value on the trade block has to be at an all-time low. In no way does this mean New York will avoid trading the future Hall of Famer. Instead, unwarranted expectations of a major haul should be thrown out the window.
That’s where Portland comes into play. After a first-round playoff exit against the now three-time defending Western Conference champion Warriors, it’s become readily apparent that the Blazers’ supporting cast just isn’t up to snuff.
Both Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum have done their jobs. The recently acquired Nikola Jokic seems to be an All-Star in the making. Outside of that, there’s not a whole heck of a lot to like here. Simply put, Portland’s high-priced secondary players have failed to get the job done.
This has put the Blazers in an unenvious position. They can’t hit the free-agent market for a max player. And they know adding more top-end talent is a necessity to competing out west.
In Anthony, the Blazers would be getting a legitimate No. 1 scoring option to go with the Lillard and McCollum, making them extremely hard to handle from out on the perimeter.
Sure moving two solid youngsters in Crabbe and Harkless might hurt here. Trading two first-round picks in what appears to be a stacked draft could also be a hard pill to swallow. But it’s a move the Blazers have to make, one that the Knicks would also jump all over if presented to them.