The Carmelo Anthony in saga has come to an end. The shopping of Anthony has been nothing short of a tease. While the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets were heavy favorites to land ‘Melo at the start of the summer, it’s the Thunder who end up landing one of the best on the ball offensive players for the last decade.

Once the trade is finalized on Monday (which includes Anthony waiving his no-trade clause) Anthony will immediately report to Oklahoma City. Anthony joins Thunder Veteran and reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook & another All-Star in Paul George (one of the best perimeter defenders in the league) to form the NBA’s newest Super-Team. The Knicks will get back the Thunder’s backup Center Enes Kanter along with Forward Doug McDermott and a 2018 2nd Round Draft Pick via Chicago.

From the fantasy perspective on the Thunder’s side, Anthony now becomes a 2nd scoring option, which will suit him better. On offense, Anthony will hang at the elbow and wait to see if the opposition collapses on Russell Westbrook when he’s trying to drive the lane. Anthony will look to take more mid and long range jumpers serving as Westbrook’s primary bailout option and George will stand on the opposite side of the paint waiting to get fed and his focus will be attacking the rim. George’s scoring will take a small hit. Scoring isn’t George’s priority. He doesn’t command the ball unlike his teammate Anthony. Anthony can still average 20 points per game in this offense, but he may not look to drive unless up against a smaller defender. Driving plays from the elbow will be given to George. Westbrook is still the top overall scoring weapon. This trade has a positive impact on Steven Adams because Kanter will no longer be a threat to his playing time. Adams and Kanter play different styles. Adams is gritty, and plays predominantly on the low block and calls for the ball when in position in the paint. Kanter is a better ball-handler and shooter. Adams minutes will be boosted a bit thus giving him more opportunities to score and rebound. With the addition of Anthony, Jerami Grant loses out on extra minutes at Power Forward, but will still be able to rotate between SF and PF with McDermott gone and Patrick Patterson hurt. Andre Roberson will still start at Shooting Guard and he also doesn’t command the ball too much so it will not interfere with the Thunder’s “Big 3”. Roberson is a solid defender and that’s how he earns his playing time.

From the fantasy perspective on the Knicks side, they add yet another big man who can shoot from long range. Kanter joins Kristaps Porzingis, Willy Hernangomez (who also can shoot from mid to long range), Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Michael Beasley. The Knicks also have Kyle O’Quinn and Joakim Noah as well who play mainly on the low block. The good news for the Knicks is Kanter is used to coming off the bench and will have to behind Porzingis and Hernangomez. Kanter can absolutely average 20 plus minutes a game even with the depth. Kanter would be a good complimentary player in the Knicks 2nd unit with O’Quinn and Noah. Kuzminskas and Beasley will bounce around between Forward spots. The biggest question will be whether or not McDermott will contend for serious minutes. He’s not quick enough to run with the other Shooting Guards in the league, so he will have to strictly as a Small Forward as likely the 3rd option at the position behind Lance Thomas and Kuzminskas. For him to surpass the 20- minute mark for playing time, he will have to show defensive determination and he’ll have to do more than just camp out at the key waiting to be fed. Both Thomas and Kuzminskas are better defenders. This trade also makes Tim Hardaway Jr. the official 2nd scoring option for the Knicks behind Porzingis. Hardaway and Anthony didn’t get along during Hardaway’s first stint with New York and now with Anthony out of the way, the Knicks will continue to look to rebuild and there will be a lot more scoring to go around. Hernangomez will get fed more at the elbow and he WILL show his shooting range a bit more this season. Thomas, Kuzminskas and Courtney Lee will pick up shot opportunities from this trade.

The Thunder win this deal, but the Knicks not taking the Rockets unappealing offer just to trade Anthony is also a victory for the Knicks. Ryan Anderson and his huge contract wasn’t worth it. This trade will make the Thunder one of the biggest threats on offense in the west and it should make the Knicks one of the best three-point shooting teams in the East. The Thunder will see trouble once they face Golden State and/or San Antonio in the Playoffs. Both ‘Melo and Kanter should settle into their roles quickly without a rough transition. McDermott (as always) will be in a dogfight for minutes. While the Knicks add to their slew of big men, the jury is still out on how efficient their Guard play will be heading into the season. The Knicks and ‘Melo needed a change and now both will attempt to salvage their reputations in the league.