NBA Trade Rumors: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George On One Team?

The Oklahoma City Thunder had the biggest offseason of any NBA team, acquiring both Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. While the two All-Stars will compete for a championship alongside Russell Westbrook, it appears that they were close to making a run to the 2018 NBA Finals with LeBron James.

According to Anthony, the Cleveland Cavaliers almost pulled off a blockbuster trade on the night of the 2017 NBA Draft.

“Me and PG have a very close friendship. Actually, it was funny because me and PG was supposed to be in Cleveland on draft night,” Anthony said in an interview with SiriusXM. “We were communicating about that. The deal was actually done and it got called off on draft night, so me and PG stayed connected throughout the course of the season.”

Anthony also said that a trade was nearly completed to send him to the Houston Rockets in early July, but “for some reason...it didn’t go through.” Houston became Anthony’s ideal destination once the Rockets traded for Chris Paul in late June. When the Knicks and Rockets were unable to reach an agreement after months of discussions, Anthony told New York he would accept a trade to either Cleveland or Oklahoma City.

It’s no secret that George was almost sent to Cleveland before the start of free agency. ESPN has previously reported that the Cavaliers nearly acquired George in a three-team trade that would’ve included the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers. A tentative deal would have sent Kevin Love to Denver and Gary Harris and other pieces to Indiana. Pacers general manager Kevin Pritchard suddenly backed out before a trade was finalized.

How the Cavaliers would have acquired Anthony from the New York Knicks is unknown. Phil Jackson made it clear that he wanted to trade Anthony this offseason when he was still the president, and the Knicks persisted with attempts to move the star forward following Jackson’s departure. Anthony was involved in trade rumors with the Cavaliers as early as the 2016 trade deadline.

With James, George and Anthony on the roster, it could have been interesting to see if Kyrie Irving still would’ve requested a trade. He reportedly asked to be dealt on July 7, ultimately going to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and a first-round draft pick.

Even though the trade fell through, there’s a chance that either Anthony or George could play with James in 2018 and beyond.

All three players have the option to become free agents next summer. The Los Angeles Lakers are considered to be the overwhelming favorites to sign George, and L.A. is thought to be the most likely destination for James if he decides to leave Cleveland for a second time.

Of course, a championship for either Oklahoma City or Cleveland might keep the star players where they are.

The Golden State Warriors remain the odds-on favorites to win the title, and Cleveland is expected to challenge them in the NBA Finals for a fourth straight year. Oklahoma City has seen their championship odds go from 66/1 to 12/1 after the two trades, and they have arguably put themselves in a position to be the biggest threat to Golden State in the West.