Report: Carmelo would’ve allowed Knicks to trade him to Blazers if no deal with select 3 teams

Actually, Turner is pretty darn good and Leonard has never been better. Of course, that doesn't say much for Leonard.

 

At $26M, Melo is out performing what we are getting out of the $26M we are paying for Turner and Meyers ($16M + $10M).

Besides, I didn't say anything letting him actually PLAY for Portland. I'd try and buy him out immediately after the trade

 

Not me, Carmelo is done after one more year.... then we'd get back out of luxury tax that we're going to get into this summer.

If we timed it right, we could tell him in no unequivocal terms that he'd be coming off the bench. Maybe that would be enough
to get him to opt out right away!

 

I think he has to opt in before OKC could trade him.

BNM

 

Is he though? There's pretty good evidence that he made his team worse this season, and with a significantly higher usage rate than Turner or Leonard. A guy like that who is not only going to suck but demand a lot of shots and touches to boot is simply cancerous and sets a team back. At least Turner mostly blended in this season and merely played like an adequate, replacement level bench guy, albeit a grossly overpaid one. Carmelo either cannot or will not accept that type of role and made that clear prior to the season.

 

I get that people don't like his contract but to me Turner fills a hole that really no one else on the team can. He's almost like a "Mid & D" player instead of 3 and D. Mid range and Defense. He isn't perfect but he brings more good than bad with the bonus of being an extra ball handler. And if he shot 35% from from 3 very few people would complain at all.

 

In the 1st half of the Season the SF Position was our biggest issiue until Moe steped up. I'm sure Melo would be a much better fit in the Stotts System. He would give Dame and CJ more Space than Evan Turner because opponents respect his outside Shooting

 

Melo is a poor fit on the Westbrooks. PG is a wasted talent on that team. So is anyone who is good, except maybe a big man like Adams.

I'm glad we didn't get Melo. I'm still ticked we couldn't get PG.

 

If (I know it's still a big unknown) Baldwin can provide an elevated level of defense that he has shown in a couple of flashes, I think he could provide everything Turner provides offensively at less than 9% of the cost of Turner. If (yes, another big if) Melo was willing to come off the bench at this point in his career he could provide a huge scoring spark in the 2nd unit. I don't know, it might be something to consider.

 

Still think so.

 

Agreed Westbrook is such a good individual player that he doesn't really make his teammates better players. Players seem to have better seasons after leaving okc.