ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony will join the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a draft pick.
The trade, which Wojnarowski tweeted would not be formalized until Monday, would surround reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook with an additional NBA superstar. Earlier in the off-season, the Thunder added wing Paul George via trade with the Indiana Pacers.
Anthony has spent half of his career with the New York Knicks and will have waived his no-trade clause if the deal goes through.
OKC hosts the Knicks to start the regular season on Oct. 19.
Anthony’s first season in the NBA was 2003-2004, and he turned 33 in May. He has averaged at least 20.8 points per game in each of his 16 seasons.
The Thunder would lose Kanter and McDermott in the deal, two players who played significant roles off the bench last season. Wojnarowski has tweeted that Oklahoma City will also send the New York Knicks a second-round draft pick in the 2018 draft via the Chicago Bulls.
“Russell Westbrook and Paul George played an immense part in getting Anthony to waive no-trade for OKC, league sources tell ESPN,” Wojnarowski also tweeted.
Carmelo Anthony a proven scorer
Anthony is a career 34.6 percent shooter from three-point range, something the Thunder have hoped to get better at as a team. George is a career 37 percent shooter from beyond the arc.
Adding both players to the Thunder’s starting rotation will greatly change the firepower surrounding Westbrook, who led an OKC squad last year with limited proven offensive options.
Westbrook parlayed that scenario into career numbers, breaking the NBA’s single-season record for triple-doubles and winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award.
The Thunder lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Houston Rockets.
(Correction: This post originally misstated Anthony’s tenure with the New York Knicks. NonDoc regrets the error.)