Carmelo Anthony might be headed back to New York; however, not with the Knicks. According to SirusXMNBA Radio's Mitch Lawrence, the Thunder are hoping to trade Melo for some sort of return rather than buying his contract out .
The package would include Jeremy Lin for Carmelo and a package of draft picks. The only problem with this idea is that the salaries of Lin and Anthony do not match up.
The Nets would have to add another contract to balance the astounding $27.9 million deal that Carmelo signed with the Knicks in 2012. The two contracts that could be packaged with Lin would be either SF Demarre Carroll who makes $15.4 million next year or SF Allen Crabbe who is slated to make $18.5 million. Both contracts are expiring.
The Nets would add a 10 time all star and a former scoring champion as well as some sort of draft compensation. The value for the Nets would be draft picks to make up for lost time that was taken away by the Celtics.
For the Thunder, adding Lin and one of the two forwards would give the team more depth and a good option off of the bench. Lin missed all season after rupturing his patella tendon in his right knee during the Nets' season opener against the Pacers. Both small forwards shot 37% from three this past season and provide good defensive support, especially Carroll.
Although the deal might seem a bit illogical, it does make some sense for the Nets. They would buy out Melo's contract and free up even more cap space for next summer. It would also play into the tanking narrative around the NBA, which the Nets can finally do with their own first round pick for the first time since 2013.