The Cleveland Cavaliers front office is under pressure from LeBron James to make some changes and bring in another playmaker, but Knicks star Carmelo Anthony isn’t apparently a target that is in mind.
ESPN’s Marc Stein and Chris Haynes report that the Knicks made calls to the Cavs to gather interest in a deal structured around a swap of the two teams’ star forwards to send Anthony to Cleveland for Kevin Love. The Cavs reportedly told New York they had no interest in such a deal.
Anthony spoke on Wednesday about the situation and said he didn’t think LeBron was talking about him when James said he wanted another playmaker on the Cavs, and it appears as though that’s the message the Cavs are sending the Knicks as well. Anthony and James’ friendship is well known, but the Cavs aren’t willing to part ways with Love to bring Anthony in.
The resistance from the Cavs is understandable, as Love, while not an on-ball playmaker, plays a pivotal role for the Cavs and brings a unique skill set to the team, and Anthony is an aging star that would tighten Cleveland’s championship window even more than it already is with James.
James’ frustration seems to mostly be with the lack of another point guard behind Kyrie Irving to help alleviate the load on he and Irving to be the primary ball-handlers at near all times. With Matthew Dellavedova in Milwaukee now, the point guard situation behind Irving is rough and is especially evident in the regular season rotation.
