The dream of the infamous Banana Boat crew coming together and forming a superteam like Voltron is still alive. For three-fourths of the NBA’s version of the super friends, it could go down this upcoming season depending on what happens with the contracts of Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks and Dwyane Wade of the Bulls.
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein and Chris Haynes, if the Knicks decide to buyout Anthony, he could join LeBron James and the Cavs as Cleveland is the leading contenders to sign the 10-time All-Star if that happens. The same goes for Wade, who despite opting into his $24 million deal for next year, could be bought out by the Bulls as the try to shift directions into rebuild mode after trading Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves during Thursday’s NBA Draft.
Here are the excerpts from Stein and Haynes:
The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to pursue a trade for Paul George and will be a leading contender for Carmelo Anthony’s services should Anthony secure an offseason buyout from the New York Knicks, according to league sources.
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ESPN’s Brian Windhorst subsequently said in an NBA on ESPN Radio interview Thursday night that both Anthony and the Bulls’ Dwyane Wade are candidates to sign with the Cavaliers in free agency this summer if they can secure buyouts from Chicago and New York, respectively.
The Knicks’ inability to find a workable trade for Anthony — who possesses a full no-trade clause — and Chicago’s decision to trade Butler and starting rebuilding around younger players has prompted speculation that both former All-Stars and close friends of James could end up on this summer’s open market.
It should be noted that this is all speculation and this is just an initial report, but Phil Jackson and the Knicks do seem keen on getting rid of Anthony and because of his no-trade clause, a buyout may be the only option. This is similar to Wade’s situation in Chicago, where the Bulls are on a clear rebuilding path and the veteran guard is definitely not part of their new youth movement, and could ruin hopes of a high lottery draft pick. Because of these reasons, and the fact that James is one of their best friends, it makes sense that Wade and Anthony could join the Cavs should they find themselves free agents.
The Cavs are also still pursuing Pacers All-Star Paul George and now the Denver Nuggets are in the mix so perhaps a deal can be struck between Cleveland and Indiana. George being a two-way player will clearly help the Cavs and allows James to not have to defend an opposing’s best player. Having Wade and Anthony on the other hand, seems like less of an upgrade for the Cavs, especially since both players are in the later stages of their career. Offensively however, Wade and Anthony should help provide a boost to Cleveland, even if they are coming off the bench — something the Cavs desperately needed against the Warriors, especially in the few minutes James sat.
If Cleveland can’t acquire George, they’ll be out of superstars to try and trade for, but it seems like the Cavs will still pursue other options to upgrade their overall talent so they can continue to be a championship contender and challenge the Golden State Warriors.
