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New York Knicks: Looking Back On The Carmelo Anthony Trade

By Kenneth Teape

Feb 19, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts after a three point shot against the Brooklyn Nets during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts after a three point shot against the Brooklyn Nets during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony in a trade on this date five years ago. We take a look back on the trade and we look at the current standing of each team since then.

The New York Knicks changed the course of their organization five years ago on this date. On this day five years ago, the Knicks pulled off the blockbuster, three-way trade with the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves with the biggest name, Carmelo Anthony, moving from the Nuggets to the Knicks. Let’s take a look back on this deal and where the team’s are now currently.

Here is how the whole trade played out. The Nuggets traded Anthony, Chanucey Billups, Renaldo Balkman, Anthony Carter and Shelden Williams to the Knicks. The Nuggets also traded a second round pick in 2015 to the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves traded Kosta Koufus to the Nuggets and Corey Brewer to the Knicks. The Knicks traded Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, 2012 second round pick (Quincy Miller), 2013 second round pick (Romero Osby), 2014 first-round pick (Dario Saric), cash, and the rights to swap first round picks in 2016, which is now property of the Toronto Raptors.

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That is a lot to stomach with a ton of pieces being moved, as there were a total of 11 players and up to five draft picks being moved. The Timberwolves were little more than a cap space helper in this deal, acquiring some picks to take on salaries the Knicks and Nuggets needed to move to make the deal work. Their outlook didn’t change much, as the Timberwolves are beginning to reap the rewards of some of those young assets. The Knicks and Nuggets saw major changes, with one team’s face of the franchise going to a different city.

The results for the Knicks have been mixed, at best. They made the postseason the first three seasons with Anthony on the team, losing in the first round twice and making it to the semis once, in 2013, to the Indiana Pacers. The two seasons after that were a struggle for the Knicks, with the 2014-15 season being the worst in franchise history with Anthony missing half the season dealing with a knee injury.

The only takeaway from that miserable season was that the Knicks have landed what looks like a franchise cornerstone piece in Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis has been outstanding his rookie season, as Anthony has taken him under his wing and helped him develop as a player. It is a legitimate building block for the Knicks that they can build around for years.

While there is some optimism for the future, the current Knicks squad is underachieving, a theme that has become pretty consistent in the Anthony era. The Knicks have never been able to place capable players around Anthony consistently, as they have never replenished the assets that they moved to acquire him. It has resulted in some up-and-down play, as the Knicks have a losing record in the regular season and postseason since the Anthony trade.

While that is an improvement on the era that the Knicks were coming out of with Isiah Thomas at the helm, there was progress being made prior to Anthony being acquired. Finally with some younger pieces in Gallinari and Chandler, and strong point guard play from Felton with big-money free agent Amar’e Stoudemire, the Knicks were heading in the right direction.

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There is an argument made that the Knicks could be on the same, or better path, had they not tried to quickly become contenders by trading for Anthony and making a short-sighted move that summer in signing Tyson Chandler.

Like the Knicks, the Nuggets made the postseason the first three years Anthony was not on the team, and have been absent since. Unlike the Knicks though, the Nuggets exclusion from the playoffs is 100 percent self-inflicted by a coaching change, as they fired George Karl after winning Coach of the Year because of another first round playoff exit in 2013. They would like to probably re-do that decision, as Bryan Shaw was a disaster as head coach, lasting less than two full seasons.

Despite the struggles the last three seasons, the Nuggets actually have more success in the regular season since the Anthony trade than the Knicks do, despite playing in the powerhouse Western Conference.

Of the players moved, only Gallinari, Chandler and Anthony are on the same team, while Chandler is missing this season with a hip injury that required surgery earlier in the season. Four of the players are out of the NBA, while the Koufus, Brewer, Felton and Mozgov have moved on to other teams.

Both teams are currently on their fourth head coach since the trade was consummated, with the Knicks likely to have a fifth sometime this summer unless Kurt Rambis can lead a miraculous turnaround for a playoff berth this Spring. Both teams are probably not where they thought they would be when the trade was made.

The trade for the Nuggets signaled a rebuild coming, but they thought it would be with Shaw as the head coach. With him bombing so badly, the Nuggets took a bit of a step back having to find a new coach. Mike Malone is a great candidate for the job though, and success should come for the Nuggets sooner than later.

They have young pieces to get excited about in rookie Emmnauel Mudiay and Nikola Jokic, and second year players in Gary Harris, Joffery Lauvergne and Jusuf Nurkic. Add in veterans such as Gallinari, Kenneth Faried and Will Barton and the Nuggets have something to work with.

An argument could be made that they are in better position than the Knicks right now. While the Knicks have the best asset of either team in Porzingis, there is not much else on the roster to get people overly excited. They have uncovered players that have been overlooked such as Langston Galloway and Lance Thomas, who are nice pieces, but probably won’t be more than solid rotation players on a good team.

But, Porzingis as a selling point probably puts the Knicks in a better position at this time. He can be used to attract free agents to New York and looks to be as good a building block as anyone in the NBA currently has on a rookie contract.

There is a chance that the Knicks and Nuggets finish this season with records similar to each other again, but unlike the Knicks the Nuggets will be able to add another piece during the NBA Draft with a lottery pick. The Knicks will be looking to make a splash this summer in a different way as a player in free agency.

Next: Who Is The Greatest Point Guard In Knicks Franchise History?

This will be a big summer in truly defining things for the Knicks since the trade that landed Anthony in New York five years ago. It is probably the last time that Phil Jackson and the Knicks’ front office will have a chance to put pieces around a nucleus of Porzingis and Anthony before having to seriously consider trading Anthony. The longer they wait, the less of an attractive piece that Anthony becomes for other teams, and the Knicks’ chances of adding younger talent and assets on similar career arcs to Porzingis dwindles.

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