At some point during the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks’ trade negotiations for Carmelo Anthony, the search for a third team brought them to the Milwaukee Bucks. And then, from there, Jabari Parker’s name came up.
According to ESPN.com’s Ian Begley:
As of last week, the New York Knicks were “not close” on any deal involving Anthony, per league sources. They’ve talked on and off with the Houston Rockets for much of the summer, but there’s been no recent momentum toward a deal.
The Knicks have told people around the league recently that Houston simply doesn’t have anything that appeals to them.
Could a third team’s involvement change New York’s thinking? Of course.
One name that came up in those (very) preliminary talks? Bucks forward Jabari Parker, per league sources.
Begley notes that it’s unclear which side, Milwaukee or New York, involved Parker’s name. We’re going to bet it was the Knicks.
Sure, Parker is now rehabilitating his second ACL injury. And yes, he’ll be a due a significant raise next summer when he hits restricted free agency. But he’s still a high-end 22-year-old prospect. The Bucks aren’t just going to include him as filler for a Carmelo Anthony deal in which they’re only participating as a Ryan Anderson dumping ground.
This should be the last we hear of this rumor, though. The Bucks recently stretched Spencer Hawes so they could duck the luxury tax. They’re not about to eat the three years and $61.3 million remaining on Anderson’s deal unless they themselves are somehow cutting salary in the process.
And that’s the problem with any hypothetical Melo deal. He’ll only waive his no-trade clause for the Rockets; the Rockets won’t give up more than Anderson, picks and fillers; the Knicks don’t want Anderson, so they need a third team; potential third teams will want to cut salary as well, demanding the inclusion of a fourth team; possible fourth teams will want exactly what their third-team peers do; and so on and so forth.
As of now, with all this in mind, it feels like Melo will begin training camp as a member of the Knicks unless he opens his no-trade clause to include more destinations.
