Carmelo Anthony trade: Boston Celtics could send Jae Crowder to New York Knicks this summer

Phil Jackson, president of the New York Knicks, will leave no stone unturned this summer in his pursuit of trading superstar forward Carmelo Anthony. While the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers remain Anthony's preferred destinations, the Boston Celtics have now emerged as a very likely trade suitor.

Prior to February's NBA Trade Deadline, the Anthony-to-Celtics chatter didn't gain steam after Boston executive Danny Ainge reportedly rebuffed a potential move. While Anthony was linked strongly to the Clippers and Cavaliers, several reports suggested that the Celtics had no interest in acquiring the 10-time All-Star.

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, a league source claims that Boston's coaching staff wanted Anthony but Ainge was hesitant to add an aging player to a young team. Since Anthony is owed a hefty US$26.24 million (AU$34.78 million) contract for the 2017-18 season, the Celtics would have little cap room to pursue free agents in July. The report added that Boston's disappointing performance in the ongoing first-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls could propel Ainge to change his mind about Anthony.

"With the top-seeded Celtics possibly on their way to getting swept by the eighth-seeded Bulls, Ainge’s thoughts on adding Anthony could change this July. The Celtics long have been thought of as a sensible destination for Anthony because of their expiring contracts and trove of draft picks that will include the Nets’ first-round selection (Boston is seeded first in the May 16 lottery, though that pick is off limits)," Berman wrote in his report published Thursday.

Carmelo Anthony Trade: Knicks would love Jae Crowder

Berman added that Knicks president Phil Jackson is fond of Celtics forward Jae Crowder. "The Post has learned that in talks with the Celtics, their defensive small forward Jae Crowder would be a major player of interest for Knicks president Phil Jackson. In fact, Jackson lamented not trading for Crowder when he was on the table in the 2014 trade talks with the Mavericks for Tyson Chandler. Crowder is an active, gritty defender who can shoot from 3-point range."

Crowder has three full seasons left on the five-year, US$35 million (AU46 million) contract he signed with the Celtics ahead of the 2015-16 season. It's widely regarded as the most cap-friendly contract in the league.

Last week, Jackson told the media that the Knicks is trying to enter the 2017-18 NBA season without Anthony on the roster. "We've not been able to win with (Anthony) on the court at this time. I think the direction with our team is that he's a player that would be better off somewhere else and using his talent somewhere where he can win or chase that championship," the Zen Master was quoted as saying by ESPN.

Carmelo Anthony has US$54.2 million (AU$70.9 million) left on the five-year max contract he signed with the Knicks before the 2014-15 season. The 32-year-old star is already past his prime, but could prove to be a valuable addition to a championship contender. The Celtics would likely have to renounce the expiring contracts of Amir Johnson (US$12 million), Tyler Zeller (US$8 million), Jonas Jerebko (US$5 million) and Gerald Green (US$1.4 million) to create cap room for Anthony. Would the Knicks successfully pull off a Carmelo Anthony trade in July? Or could they contact teams on NBA Draft night in June?