The New York Knicks have struggled to win games lately and because of that their playoff chances are all but out the window. This will likely be the third consecutive season the Knicks will be watching the playoffs on TV and that does not sit well with star player Carmelo Anthony. Despite the lack of success Anthony has said he wants to stay in New York but that hasn't stopped other teams from trying to trade for him. The Boston Celtics are among the teams that expressed interest in Anthony before the trade deadline, according to Ian Begley of ESPN New York.
All that is being reported is that the Celtics expressed interest so it is unclear whether there were any formal discussions or if talks ever became serious. Even if the two sides had agreed to a deal they would have had to get the okay from Anthony himself because he has a no-trade clause and has made it clear he wants to win in New York.
The idea of acquiring Anthony makes some sense for the Celtics because they have been on the lookout for a star player and another go-to scorer. Anthony is certainly a go-to scorer but the Celtics are lucky that things didn't get serious regarding Anthony because it likely wouldn't have been worth it. Anthony is not the type of player that makes his teammates better and the way the Celtics are currently constructed they are the definition of a team as they are very unselfish.
Anthony is averaging a career high 4.2 assists per game this year which points to him being more of a team player but his scoring and shooting numbers are down. Add to that the fact that Anthony is owed more than $75 million over the next three years and has the Knicks worried about the long-term health of his knee, and the Celtics dodged a bullet by not gutting their roster for him.
From the Celtics perspective you have to think about if adding Anthony would make them a title contender this year. Based on what they likely would have had to give up to get him, the answer is probably no. So while it doesn't hurt to engage the Knicks they were ultimately fortunate talks never went anywhere too serious. A trade that would make more sense for Anthony would be the one that was discussed involving Anthony to the Cavaliers (which also would have brought Kevin Love to the Celtics). Anthony would be more likely to waive his no-trade clause for a chance to play with his good friend LeBron James and Love makes more sense for the Celtics because he is younger and doesn't bring along as many concerns. These talks will likely be revisited over the summer but at that point the Celtics should still stay far away from a trade for Carmelo.
