Carmelo Anthony Trade: Thunder 'intrigued' by the idea of acquiring Knicks star

The Oklahoma City Thunder (28-19) are interested in trading for New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony, with hopes of pairing MVP candidate Russell Westbrook with the All-Star forward, per reports.

According to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, the Thunder front office is intrigued by the thought of acquiring Anthony. "Would Carmelo Anthony accept trade to play next to Westbrook? #Thunder know possible pairing a long shot, but idea intrigues them, I'm told," Amico tweeted on Friday.

It's no secret that the Knicks are determined to pull off a Carmelo Anthony trade ahead of the Feb. 23 deadline. Since Anthony has a no-trade clause on his five-year, US$124 million (AU$165 million) contract that runs through the 2018-19 season, the Knicks would need the former scoring champion's consent before ensuing discussions with the Thunder. Earlier this month, Charley Rosen, a close ally of New York Knicks president Phil Jackson, revealed that Anthony would approve only a trade to either the Clippers or the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Carmelo Anthony trade: What can Oklahoma City Thunder offer?

The Thunder could prove to be a beneficial trading partner for the Knicks. They have a ton of assets including rookie Domantas Sabonis, second year guard Cameron Payne, sweet-shooting Spanish forward Álex Abrines and others that could intrigue the New York front office -- and effectively help them wipe off Anthony's massive contract off the books without accepting long-term contracts. According to ESPN's trade machine, a package of Enes Kanter and Sabonis should be enough for the salaries to match.

It's clear that New York aren't looking to acquire vets with long-term contracts, the likes of Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers, that the Clippers are reportedly offering for Anthony's services. Therefore, Oklahoma City's younger assets on rookie contracts could be what gets Knicks president Phil Jackson's attention. After signing Steven Adams, Victor Oladipo and Russell Westbrook to extensions earlier in the season, the Thunder are nearly capped out for the next few seasons. This could propel them to offer Kanter as part of the package.

According to The Vertical, the Boston Celtics have emerged as another possible destination but those conversations, per an ESPN source, "haven't gained any traction because Boston feels Anthony doesn't address its need for more defence and rebounding.‎" Also, the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly nixed a possible Carmelo Anthony for Kevin Love swap that the Knicks were keen to go through with.

As of this writing, it's almost a foregone conclusion that Anthony would be playing for a different team sometime next month. The Knicks are weighing all their options but since Anthony gets to control his own future, they lack leverage when it comes to trade discussions. Could Knicks trade Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder? Stay tuned for the latest on the Carmelo Anthony trade buzz.