The Twist
Carmelo Anthony is only interested in going to Houston. Won't waive NTC for the Cavs,Knicks are waiting for a better offer from HOU (NYPost) pic.twitter.com/9KfVoxnObG
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) August 1, 2017
But to put a twist on all of this, new information has emerged that squashes a CLE-NYK deal from taking place:
Carmelo is no longer interested in playing with the Cavaliers.
It’s Houston or bust.
This revelation eliminates a great option for both the Knicks and Cavaliers. Luckily, it’s their problem, not the Suns’.
What does this mean for the Suns? Well, three-team trades are already difficult to arrange, as there are so many moving parts. There also doesn’t appear to be such a clear-cut situation which existed for the Knicks and Cavs that Phoenix can facilitate for.
In my opinion, this means that if a trade involving the Suns and Kyrie occurs, it will be a two-team deal, with Kyrie and Bledsoe swapping places, plus assets. The truth is, Cleveland’s pickings are slim, but with Kyrie refusing to answer phone calls or texts from the front office their hands are tied.
He needs to go.
Per Jason Lloyd, the Cavs can no longer even get Kyrie Irving on the phone
— Jordan Zirm (@JordanZirm) July 27, 2017
Kyrie has continued to cripple the Cavs further by saying he won’t commit long-term to his trade partner, making teams outside Kyrie’s wish list much less likely to pursue him. Few teams have the perfect replacement for Kyrie, assets, and cap room to facilitate a trade like the Suns do. But the Suns have also stated they are in no rush to give up the farm for Kyrie after disclosing Josh Jackson is off-limits furthering their renewed dedication to youth.
Yet, as crazy as it sounds, all of these factors could result in the Suns winning big if a deal is brokered between the two franchises.