Earlier this season, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony was linked in trade rumors with the Los Angeles Clippers and in particular Blake Griffin. Clippers point guard Chris Paul is good friends with Anthony and said in a story from the New York Posts' Marc Berman, however, that he realizes that Anthony prefers New York:
NBA trade rumors roundup: Carmelo Anthony: ‘I don’t want to be traded’
Chris Paul said Anthony loves New York, Andre Miller relationship with Denver is strained beyond repair, and more in this NBA trade rumors roundup.
Al Bello
”I know he loves it there. His family loves it there. Most of all, he loves to play basketball there. Whatever he does, I’ll support him 110 percent.’’
The New York Knicks have been a tire fire all year and its star has been the figurehead for blockbuster trade rumors throughout. Anthony said there have been "sleepless nights" this season:
“I don’t want to be traded. I came to New York, I said before I wanted to retire here. I said it, meant it. That’s how I feel. I still feel strongly about that. That’s why at the end of the season, everything has to be laid out — something that we can grow with and build on.”
Recently, it was reported that Anthony would be willing to take a pay cut if it meant the Knicks could improve their roster. Time will tell if he is really willing to make that sacrifice, but it’s looking more and more like he’ll remain with the Knicks past the trade deadline.
Andre Miller not interested in returning to Denver
Disgruntled floor general Andre Miller has no interest in returning to the Nuggets, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Nuggets were looking to fix the relationship, but according to Spears' source, it is beyond repair:
“The vibe is delusional,” the source said. “It’s a burned bridge. No reconciliation. He’s waiting by the door with his bag already packed. The relationship is irreparable. Under no circumstances does he want to come back to Denver.
“Andre hasn’t spoken about the situation. He’s being quiet out of goodwill.”
Miller has been working out at the Nuggets facility, mostly at night when the team isn’t there. A source in his camp told Spears that there’s hope that he’ll be traded before the deadline.
Cavaliers' owner Dan Gilbert: "We have a lot of assets"
In a sit-down interview with Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert opened up on a number of wide ranging topics: The Letter, former GM Chris Grant, Luol Deng, the state of the team, etc. Lloyd asked Gilbert about the importance of the upcoming summer. Gilbert's response:
“You always have options and maneuvers and things at your disposal. To Chris Grant’s credit, he set us up with that Memphis pick. It’s a great pick maybe in ’15, we’ve got all our picks, we still have the Miami pick in ’15 — and who knows what happens there, by the way — there’s a lot of things that can happen. We have a lot of assets, and they may be picks, but they also can be trading assets, too. That was something at the beginning of the rebuild. We didn’t have the personnel or the assets. We didn’t have either. We were starting below zero.”
Along with the slew of young players at Cleveland's disposal, it also has a number of draft picks. This summer, it has its own first and second round selections, Memphis' second rounder and Orlando's second rounder. Next summer it has the option of switching picks with Chicago, a protected Miami first rounder and a protected Memphis Grizzlies first rounder. The Memphis pick becomes unprotected in 2019 if it isn't conveyed earlier.
That’s a good amount of assets stockpiled in Cleveland’s favor. Those picks can be held on to and used or the Cavaliers can flip in a trade for proven players, as rebuilding teams are always looking to trade veterans for first round selections.
Sixers are looking for draft picks
The Sixers focus in the upcoming deadline is acquiring draft picks, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Philadelphia has the most cap space in the NBA, an open roster spot and are willing to part ways with Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes if it means future compensation. They are reportedly interested in first-rounders and mostly lottery picks.
Those might be tough to come by, however, as this summer’s draft is considered transcendent. Most teams will likely be hesitant to part with any pick that isn’t heavily protected as the thought is that the upcoming draft is filled with franchise cornerstones.
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