FanPost

Trade for Carmelo

Carmelo Anthony is a perennial All-Star and also a divisive figure among NBA fans. Although he led Syracuse to a NCAA championship as a freshman, he's yet to make the NBA Finals. Is he dedicated to winning like a Kobe, LeBron, Dirk or Duncan? Long-time teammate Kenyon Martin recently said yes, but others have questioned his dedication and drive. Critics describe him as a bombardier, chucking away for 30 and 40 point games while playing minimal defense. But no one questions his scoring prowess. Paul Pierce has called Melo the toughest guard of his career.

In light of the Knicks' recent moves





and comments by Walt Frazier on Monday, would Melo's arrival launch the Suns into contention?

Teams on the cusp of contention but with little to no shot at Kevin Durant will line up for Melo the moment he's available. Consider some potential deals:

#1 ORL - Frye, Aaron Gordon, Jason Smith + 2 1sts
#2 WAS - Nene, Porter, Humphries + 2 1sts
#3 MIA - Deng, Winslow, Anderson, Chalmers + '16 1st
#4 PHX-IND (note: feel free to sub in other players/picks for Kieff)
NYN: Melo for Hill, Kieff + Budinger
PHX: Bled + Kieff for Melo
IND: George Hill + Chase Budinger for Bled

For Phil Jackson, the thought of building a core around Grant-Gordon-Kristaps is pretty attractive, especially when you consider he'll have very good picks to round out the team. Otto Porter has star potential and a game tailor-made for the triangle offense. But the Heat and Suns/Pacers can put forward the best deals. George Hill is perfect for the triangle offense, Kieff would be able to play to his midrange strengths and Budinger is a solid pickup on the last year of his contract. The Suns can even dip into their draft pick stash to outbid Miami.

In Phoenix, Melo would have arguably his best supporting cast to date. Defensively, PJ, Tyson and Len will be able to save him from added wear and tear. Offensively, Knight, TJ, Booker and even Bogdan complement his game so well. This part of a recent article had me thinking about Brandon Knight's future alongside Melo, too: "In his two best seasons--the '09 playoff run with Denver and the entire '12-13 campaign, [Carmelo] had the benefit of playing with point men who could both distribute but were also comfortable playing off-ball as spot up shooters: Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd, respectively." Melo needs far more offensive help than an injury-prone Amare and streaky JR Smith to win a ring, and the Suns provide that rare mix of young talent and vet leadership. The supporting cast is ready to win from the outset AND will improve in the future. No other team outside the Wizards can offer that, and they will likely be gearing up for KD, not Melo. Miami has a ridiculous starting 5 the moment it adds Melo, but there would be immense pressure to win in a year or two. The window to win in Phoenix would remain open for a number of years.

Acknowledging he's overpaid, Melo's arrival would nonetheless launch the Suns into immediate contention. He's an efficient ballhandler despite having a very high usage rate. His defense is passable, but in '13-14 was surprisingly elite in isolation and post up




Of course, he remains one of the most skilled scorers in the game today




and those talents would key any Suns postseason run. The arrival of Tyson Chandler and re-signing of Knight makes a trade for Melo worth the risk. A year ago, I opposed overpaying for Melo. Now, he's starting to look like a best-case scenario. The Suns cannot bank on a DeMarcus Cousins trade. The 2016 UFA Al Horford checks a lot of boxes, but we have no reason to believe he will choose Phoenix in 11 months. Melo fits this motley crew Suns team like few other superstars.