The Cleveland Cavaliers are attempting to trade for New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, but they don't want to give up Kevin Love to acquire the 10-time All-Star.
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Instead, the Cavs are offering veteran bench players and Turkish prospect Cedi Osman for Carmelo according to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops.
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The package would include Osman and likely Iman Shumpert, whom the Cavs acquired from the Knicks in 2015. Several other bench players would have to be included to make the salaries work, but Amico reported that the Knicks aren't particularly interested in the offer from Cleveland.
The Houston Rockets are also in pursuit of Anthony, but both teams are hoping that Melo and the Knicks will reach a buyout agreement. If that happens, the Rockets and the Cavaliers can offer Anthony the mid-level exception and they won't have to sacrifice depth to add him.
It wouldn't make sense for the Knicks to take on several bad contracts to get rid of a player they can simply pay to go away, but this is the same franchise who just gave Tim Hardaway Jr. over $70 million when no other team would come close to that amount.
Anthony has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he can veto any potential trade. A buyout is the most likely solution for Melo and the Knicks, and it's more likely than not that he's in a different uniform next season.
(h/t 247Sports)
