With Kawhi Leonard being dealt on Wednesday to the Toronto Raptors, it now leaves Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony as the next player in line to find out where he could be going next.
A couple of weeks ago, Adrian Wojnarowski and Royce Young of ESPN reported that the Thunder and Anthony would be parting ways sometime this summer. The reason why is because Anthony opted into his $27.9 million option for the 2018-19 season.
By him doing that, it pushed the Thunder’s payroll and luxury to an insurmountable $310 million. Oklahoma City is looking at either trading, using the NBA’s stretch provision, or a combination of a buyout and stretch for the veteran forward to save $100 million.
Since those are the likely scenarios, Anthony’s name has been connected to many teams, including the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks recently made a trade with the Brooklyn Nets for Jeremy Lin, but could also look to move point guard Dennis Schroder.
According to Mitch Lawrence of SiriusXM NBA, the Thunder and Hawks are discussing a potential trade that could send Schroder to Oklahoma City, while Anthony would go to Atlanta. The Hawks would then buyout the former third overall pick.
If bought out, where could Carmelo Anthony go next?
If he is bought out, Anthony will become a free agent and get to choose his next destination. One option for Anthony could be the Houston Rockets, who are interested in signing the veteran forward.
Last week at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Anthony was granted permission by the Thunder to meet with teams and sat down with the Rockets and Miami Heat, according to Wojnarowski.
This past season with Oklahoma City, Anthony had a down year across the board, averaging 16.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He also shot 40.4 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from three-point range.
