Analyst Reminds Everyone of Knicks, Carmelo Anthony Trade

The New York Knicks faced a decade of NBA purgatory in the 2000's and they wanted to change that as the 2010's emerged.

They did that by acquiring Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets after a failed attempt to lure LeBron James in free agency the year prior.

With Anthony getting the itch to move teams after his friend LeBron took his talents to South Beach to play for the Miami Heat, he requested a trade to the Knicks.

"Compared to so many of the trade-demand landmines to follow, the divorce between Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets was fairly tame. The messiness stems from the delay," Bleacher Report contributor Dan Favale wrote.

"Melo was reportedly pushing for the Nuggets to send him to the New York Knicks prior to the 2010-11 season. He eventually opened up his list to incorporate other teams, including the then-Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls."

"Denver eventually sent him to the Knicks, but not until February 2011, more than six months after his reported trade request and more than 18 months after Chris Paul reportedly toasted to the formation of a Big Three in the Big Apple with himself, Melo and Amar'e Stoudemire."

"Now retired, Anthony has insisted he didn't force a trade to the Knicks. Everyone and their next-door neighbor's third cousin's barber are understandably skeptical."

While the Melo trade elevated the Knicks from the lottery to the playoffs, the team was ultimately unable to get past the second round while he was in New York. The Knicks were a playoff participant in three consecutive years with the Knicks, but they began to spiral in the final years with Anthony on the team.

In 2017, Anthony was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a second-round pick.

It took a few years for the Knicks to get back to the playoffs, but now they find themselves in a position they envisioned when Anthony was on the roster — on the path towards being a true contender.

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