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Carmelo Anthony says he and Paul George nearly got traded to LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers

Carmelo Anthony and Paul George were nearly traded to the Cavs.

Carmelo Anthony and Paul George are now teammates at the Oklahoma City Thunder with Russell Westbrook, but they were almost teammates with LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Anthony said in an interview on SiriusXM that he and George were almost traded to Cleveland on draft night. Here's what he said via Ian Begley of ESPN:

"Me and PG have a very close friendship," Anthony said. "Actually, it was funny because me and PG was supposed to be in Cleveland on draft night. we were communicating about that. The deal was actually done and it got called off on draft night, so me and PG stayed connected throughout the course of the season."

Related: Cavaliers reportedly had a chance to get Carmelo Anthony, and here's what it would have taken

Melo didn't reveal the exact terms of the proposed trade, and he might not even know who all was supposed to be involved. Instead, the Cavaliers traded Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas and recently acquired Dwyane Wade after the Bulls bought out his contract.

Now, the Thunder have one of the most interesting rosters in the league. The addition of Anthony and George to go with Westbrook gives them several scoring options, and OKC can also piece together a formidable defense unit with Steven Adams and Andre Roberson.

Of course, it's still possible Anthony and George get to play with LeBron AND Westbrook next year in Los Angeles. That's all speculation, but they can all be free agents next summer if they don't sign extensions this year.

(h/t CBS Sports)