Just like his time as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, the Carmelo Anthony era in Chicago will come to an end without him ever stepping on the floor. It had been reported that Anthony would get waived by the Bulls after the team acquired him in a trade with the Houston Rockets, and in the days since that move happened, all that anyone could do was sit and wait for the other shoe to drop.
That finally happened on Friday afternoon, and one of Anthony’s former squads played a major role. The Oklahoma City Thunder shipped third-year wing Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to Chicago, along with some cash, for a second-round draft pick.
Bulls make trade official, send protected 2020 2nd-round pick to Thunder for Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and cash while waiving Carmelo Anthony. Unlike other two cash deals, Bulls will hold on to Luwawu-Cabarrot, a former 1st-round pick.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 1, 2019
In terms of the trade, it makes sense for both teams. Chicago gets a guy who was selected in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft as they look to build towards the future, while Oklahoma City saves a good chunk of money.
Oklahoma City will save $7.3M towards the luxury tax with the trade of Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot trade to Chicago. The Thunder now have a tax bill of $66.15M and have also created a $1.5M trade exception. The Thunder also have a $10.8M trade exception… https://t.co/qSl9PosxIp
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 1, 2019
But of course, the big thing here is Anthony finally hitting the market and getting the opportunity to head where he wants to go. While there’s no word on which teams have interest, and Anthony has said he just wants to be happy wherever he goes next, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that the picture will become a little more clear after the trade deadline on Feb. 7.
Anthony is expected to clear waivers and will then have a better sense of a possible destination with league-wide roster movement post-trade deadline. The Lakers remain a real possibility for 'Melo beyond Thursday's deadline, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/6ySgYf3Nh8
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 1, 2019
Whether it’s the Lakers or not remains to be seen, but it looks like we’re still going to have to sit and wait before we see where Anthony would theoretically finish out the remainder of the season.
