In case you missed it, the Thunder had a good weekend. After months of speculation regarding Paul George and his future, the five-time All-Star ultimately agreed to sign a four-year, $137 million contract with the Thunder on Saturday night. George made the announcement at a private party in Oklahoma City hosted by Russell Westbrook. In addition to Westbrook, several members of the team’s front office were also on hand during the event. Shortly after the news surfaced that George agreed to a new contract with the Thunder, it was reported that the team had agreed to a three-year, $27 million contract with Jerami Grant. For the Thunder, two of the biggest question marks the organization faced heading into the offseason had been swiftly taken care of just minutes into the start of free agency. Now, the team has one more issue to iron out: Carmelo Anthony. Anthony informed the Thunder last week that he did not plan on opting out of his $27,928,140 player option for next season. While that news should not come as a surprise, the team now must decide how to move forward with Anthony. Of course, Anthony infamously told reporters at the end of last season that he would not entertain a role off of the bench. After posting the worst numbers of his career, it is evident that the team has to find a solution with Anthony. With George, Grant and Anthony all reportedly back for next season, the team will be facing an enormous payroll for the 2018-19 season as the roster currently stands. As ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks pointed out over the weekend, the Thunder are now looking at a payroll of $156 million with George and Grant back and an additional $130 million in luxury-tax penalties—an NBA record. If they can somehow find a way to move from Anthony, the team could save as much as $91 million in taxes. So, it seems reasonable to think the Thunder are exploring their options regarding Anthony. Here are three possible solutions for moving on from Melo this summer.<doc-sep>With Paul George and Jerami Grant re-signed OKC Thunder next priority is finding a trade partner for Carmelo Anthony. Carmelo Anthony publicly criticized his role in last years exit interview with the OKC Thunder. With his unwillingness to accept a reduced role or come off the bench, the Thunder must explore every possible scenario to trade him. With Paul George‘s free agency decision dominating headlines, its easy to forget the OKC Thunder have a Carmelo Anthony problem. At his exit interview last season, Melo expressed frustration with his reduced role as a catch and shoot player and accused the Thunder of “not having a plan”. This kind of open criticism is unusual for a franchise that prides itself on privacy and the potential effects on OKC’s locker room could be disastrous. If Melo is bent on starting but not fulfilling his role as a perimeter sniper, the Thunder need to trade him. However, moving Anthony won’t be easy. Melo is due a whopping 27.9 million dollars this season with few teams possessing cap space. The rapid salary cap spike from 2016 has locked many teams into multiple years of bad salary. As it stands, only a handful of teams have room, but will only accept salary dumps if they come with a young player or pick(s). Anthony is also coming off his worst season as a pro, averaging career lows in points (16.2), field goal percentage (40) and free throw percentage (76). His rapid decline is due largely to his waning athleticism and loss of first step. Anthony was blocked at the rim with regularity and struggled to drive past opposing bigs. Last but not least, he possesses a no-trade clause. Melo wants to win a championship and will only accept trades to contenders. Oklahoma City will need to be savvy to find one of the greatest scorers in NBA history a home. Lets take a look at three potential suitors.<doc-sep>OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 15: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder speaks to the media after the game against the Utah Jazz during Game One of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 15, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) With LeBron James moving to LA and the Lakers active in NBA Free Agency, now is the time for the OKC Thunder to strike and shop Carmelo Anthony. Now that LeBron James has removed his name from NBA Free Agency and moved West, its makes little sense for the OKC Thunder to be happy about it. However, the King’s shift has provided Oklahoma City a small window of opportunity. It’s safe to say the OK3 experiment flopped and with OKC signing Jerami Grant to a multi-year deal, Carmelo Anthony‘s time appears to be coming to an end. Factor in the recent addition of Nerlens Noel and the front court is suddenly filling out. Melo doesn’t do himself any favors with fanbase: When Anthony opted into his contract, Oklahoma City fans went nuts. To make things worse, Melo trolled them on twitter. These tweets are a questionable move by Anthony. Thunder fans are a loyal, tight-knit community and electing to publicly mock them may not have been the best decision. Now, the fanbase are clamoring for a trade. Lucky for them, there just might be one available. The potential trade: Los Angeles Lakers receive Carmelo Anthony Oklahoma City receive Luol Deng + 2019 or 2021 first round pick Note: prior to LeBron signing in LA, I examined three potential landing spots for Anthony. However, with James committing to the Lakers for the foreseeable future, this shifts them to the top of the list. Why this makes sense for Los Angeles Not only do they move off Deng’s terrible contract, they also receive a former All-Star who gets buckets. Despite the worst year of his career, Melo is still one of the best scorers the NBA has ever seen. He provides perimeter shooting to a roster light on marksmanship and provides James with an offensive weapon. Additionally, Anthony’s 27.9-million-dollar contract expires at the end of the season. This provides the Lakers with future flexibility to target the free agent class of 2019. GM Magic Johnson said he would resign if the Lakers couldn’t land two premier free agents by next Summer thus trading 2-years, 36-million-dollars of Deng for one year of Melo is a win-win situation. With James signed for the next four seasons, the Lakers will be an attractive destination. Los Angeles now have $5.6M in room left after the Rajon Rondo signing with the Lakers. — Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 2, 2018 Why this makes sense for OKC Moving Anthony’s contract has massive luxury tax ramifications. Depending on what Oklahoma City choose to do with Deng’s contract, the Thunder could save approximately 50-million-dollars with a trade. Oklahoma City should seek a first round pick with the trade as LA stands to be the primary beneficiary. Sure, LA loses a pick but they gain freedom to approach free agents next year. OKC moves a disgruntled Anthony to a better situation and fans can relax again. Potential moves post-trade Oklahoma City could choose to stretch Deng’s contract over five seasons (two times the number of years plus one). This means OKC will be paying Deng 7.2-million dollars per year over five years. This saves the Thunder an additional 44-million-dollars in luxury tax. If the Thunder can find a partner to dump Deng’s salary and attach a pick(s), OKC will pay just over 10-million-dollars in luxury tax. Clubs with cap room such as the Atlanta Hawks are rebuilding and willingly absorb bad contracts for picks. If Oklahoma City offer a 2019 first round pick, Deng’s contract is likely to be absorbed. Final Word OKC are in salary cap hell and will no doubt look to unload salary. A trade of Melo to Los Angeles kills two birds with one stone: it moves a disgruntled star unhappy in his role and it substantially reduces Oklahoma City’s luxury tax bill. The Thunder must move quickly before the door closes. With Los Angeles splurging to fill out its roster, now is the perfect time to move Anthony to the City of Angels.<doc-sep>Prior to the free agency deadline, it was no surprise that former Syracuse Orange star Carmelo Anthony opted into the final year of his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, making him eligible for $27.9 million this season. However, the fit clearly doesn’t work. And after re-signing Paul George (surprisingly) and Jerami Grant it looks like they’re content with the current roster — one that is also well into the luxury tax threshold. Could OKC be looking to get Melo’s contract off the books by any means necessary? They certainly could consider stretching him, as one SB Nation article points out. The provision would give the Thunder three years to pay off the rest of his deal, potentially saving them $91 million in luxury tax payments. That alone seems worth it for both parties. And if you’re looking for Melo’s next destination? Well... LeBron James’s decision over the weekend should probably make that a bit obvious, even with a steep paycut for Anthony to make it happen. But is THAT a fit? Doubt it matters if LeBron wants his long-time friend to join him with the Lakers. That, plus the rest of your Syracuse-related links below: Stretching Carmelo Anthony could save the Thunder $91 million. Should they do it? (SB Nation) Cap expert Albert Nahmad crunched the numbers and found that stretching Anthony’s contract would save the Thunder $91 million in luxury tax. That’s more than a few teams’ entire payrolls. That luxury tax, by the way, gets spread out among non-taxpaying teams. So the $91 million would directly subsidize teams, some of which (like the Utah Jazz, who knocked the Thunder out in the first round this past season) are OKC’s direct rivals. Big Ten commissioners propose a college football national injury report to the NCAA (SB Nation) Injury reports in college football are obviously handled differently depending on the coach — one of the most notable guys who tries to keep injuries hush is Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh. He’s known for doing things like refusing to release an official roster in the fall, and then doing so three days before the season. While the idea to bring this to the college level certainly is interesting, the one thing that stands out as a potential issue here is enforcement. Where will Girard play? Some people in the know weigh in. (Glens Falls Post-Star) “It is not too bad a drive to Syracuse and a lot of local people already go to Syracuse games,” Hall said. “So it is just a natural fit for this area to want him to go there, so we can see him. “It would be great if he went to Syracuse.” Hall echoes the hopes of many in Glens Falls who want Girard to continue his hoops career wearing orange. Syracuse basketball’s Gerry McNamara follows 2019 recruit Isaiah Stewart to Argentina (Syracuse.com) McNamara confirmed that he will be in Sante Fe to watch Stewart play when the USA takes on Serbia on Tuesday. That is the USA’s final game in pool play. Both the USA and Serbia are currently 2-0. Stewart has been a physical presence in the USA’s first two games. He had 14 points and 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes during a 115-37 trouncing of China. In a 97-40 win over Mali, Stewart scored 11 points and grabbed eight boards in just 20 minutes. Under Armour All-America Lacrosse game recaps: Girls, Boys’ South teams come out victorious in different ways (College Crosse) The boys’ game wasn’t as good as it has been the past few years. The South, aka the “Dirty South” to those on the team, exploded on offense as they breezed past the North 22-15. North Carolina Tar Heels commit Nicky Solomon, the younger brother of Syracuse Orange attackman Nate Solomon, won MVP honors. He was happy. Recruiting CNY: Mike Hart explains how he got CBA’s Stevie Scott to choose Indiana (CNYCentral) Toronto Raptors’ player development will be put to the test with Malachi Richardson (Raptors Rapture) ACC Recruit Rankings: End of June Average Recruit Ranking (247Sports) 3-Star WR DeMarcus Harris sets decision for July 4 (Twitter)<doc-sep>
Are Carmelo Anthony‘s days with the Oklahoma City Thunder numbered? When you consider their cap situation following the agreements they reached on Saturday night, it certainly seems possible. In the weeks leading up to free agency, the Thunder were unsure if they’d be able to retain Jerami Grant. While the Paul George situation understandably attracted the most attention, the front office wondered if the 24-year-old Grant would end up being out of their price range. However, an hour after free agency began, Oklahoma City was able to reach an agreement with Grant on a three-year deal worth $27 million. This was shocking because as things currently stand, the Thunder’s luxury-tax bill (including the repeater tax) would be $130 million with only 11 players under contract. This isn’t just high by Oklahoma City standards; it would be the largest luxury-tax bill in NBA history. It seems unlikely that a small-market team without much championship potential would pay this bill. That’s where Anthony fits into this. One way the Thunder can avoid this tax hit is by moving on from the 34-year-old, who is set to make $27,928,140 next season after opting into his contract. If the Thunder remove Anthony from the roster and replace him with a minimum player, they would save $91 million in taxes. This has led to speculation that the Thunder may try to buy out Anthony’s contract or try to minimize the damage by stretching it, which would allow Oklahoma City to pay his salary over the next three seasons. (Trading Anthony is another option, although that seems difficult given his 2018-19 salary.) This buzz has made its way to NBA circles, as two players told HoopsHype they thought OKC would get rid of Anthony. The players requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. “I don’t think Paul George would have returned to OKC if the roster was going to be the same,” one player told HoopsHype. “They already re-signed Grant. . . [Moving on from] Carmelo makes the most sense.” Another player wondered where Anthony could end up if the Thunder were to part ways with him. “I think the Thunder are getting rid ‘Melo,” the player told HoopsHype. “Then, I think newly stretched ‘Melo joins the Houston Rockets or joins LeBron James wherever he lands.” If Anthony does hit the free-agent market, it’s possible the Rockets would be interested. They tried to land him last summer before he was dealt to the Thunder and now they have an even bigger need at forward because Trevor Ariza is leaving to join the Phoenix Suns. Anthony is close friends with Chris Paul and they have talked about their desire to play together. In this scenario, the Rockets would likely try to land Anthony for the veteran’s minimum, which could work since he’d likely take home a good portion of his $27.9 million in a buyout. But Anthony is also close with LeBron James, and they’ve had similar conversations about teaming up at some point before retirement. As of now, all signs seem to point to LeBron joining the Los Angeles Lakers. Could they be a potential landing spot for ‘Melo too? Last season, Anthony averaged a career-low 16.2 points to go with 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists, while shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from three-point range. He started in every game he appeared in during the regular season and postseason. In the first round of the playoffs, he averaged 11.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from three.