As the summer carried on, it seemed like a formality that Carmelo Anthony was going to end up with the Houston Rockets.

However, the Knicks and Rockets couldn’t agree to a deal that would send the ten time All-Star to join Chris Paul and James Harden to form a dynamic trio. 

ESPN reported Friday night that Anthony has expanded his list of teams he would accept a trade to which included the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder were the other team Anthony added with Houston being his preferred destination.

With just a few days before training camp begins across the NBA landscape, Monday feels like a  deadline in hopes of getting a deal done for the Knicks to avoid the media bombardment of questions directed at management and also at Anthony about a potential trade.

Cleveland was initially on the trade list for Anthony as the summer began but I think with the Kyrie Irving trade saga as well as Lebron’s pending future with the organization, Anthony took us off and only wanted to go to Houston. 

A Houston deal looks unlikely as the Knicks don’t want to take back Rockets forward Ryan Anderson and his 3 years at $60 million. The Knicks are looking for short term contracts and draft assets according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Cleveland can give New York those kind of trade pieces in a potential deal.

Iman Shumpert has up to two years left at around $10 million each year. Channing Frye has an expiring contract worth $7.4 million. As for young assets and to make salaries work, the Cavaliers could add Euro swingman Cedi Osman and second year guard Kay Felder.

The Cavaliers would also likely throw in their 2018 first round pick as New York would want draft picks to build a young core around Kristaps Porzingis. It won’t be the Brooklyn pick they acquired from Boston in the Kyrie Irving deal and if the Knicks ask for that, Cleveland should laugh and hang up.

Now no substantial talks have taken places besides a phone call New York made to Cleveland last Monday according to ESPN but if both sides want to make this deal, I think it can happen very quickly. 

It’s no secret Lebron and Carmelo want to play together and both have hinted about the idea for years now. Not to mention the fact that Dwayne Wade will be bought out soon by the Chicago Bulls and will likely sign with the Cavaliers once that’s completed.

That would give Cleveland 3/4ths of the “Banana Boat” group with Rockets point guard Chris Paul being the only man of that group not apart of the Cavaliers.