Don’t totally agree with OKC having a lot of assets they can trade. Swapping Adams in any deal hurts them on the defensive side almost as much as Anthony would help on offense…and Adams doesn’t need the ball.
However…is Melo an asset for the Knicks? He’s 33, makes $25 million on a team going nowhere. If they can get any type of pick for him and even a mediocre young player like McBuckets it seems appropriate. Look at the shit platters they would be getting in 3 and 4 team Houston deals. Somehow getting Kyrie is the only path that is a better option.
However, a starting 5 including Roberson who never wants the ball and Adams who’s more important as a threat than anything else means Anthony/George/Russ would be splitting something like 75% of the shots. Staggering rest means you could always have 2 potent scorers on the floor, so realistically you’re only worrying about fit as much for the first few minutes of each half and crunch time.
Ego comes into play, and Russ just posted a historic usage rate. However, he saw how easy Harden’s assists came in a spread out attack. I’m in the camp that thinks Russ would be a willing passer, and a damn good one. When you see he’d be swapping Oladipo and Sabonis for George and Anthony it’s much easier to think he might be kicking out more frequently.
