Boston Celtics Rumors: Team Had Interest In Carmelo Anthony At Trade Deadline

The Boston Celtics have a roster deep with promising talent, a head coach in Brad Stevens who is on rise and they currently hold the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Trade talk surrounded the potential addition of a big-name player by the Celtics, but last week’s trade deadline came and went without that happening.

According to ESPN.com’s Ian Begley, citing league sources, the Celtics had interest in New York Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony before the trade deadline. Formal discussions about a deal may or may not have happened, but the Celtics were apparently informed that Anthony had no interest in being traded to them. With a no-trade clause, Anthony holds the power to void any deal that would send him elsewhere.

As another non-playoff season winds down for the Knicks, Anthony’s future with the team and willingness to waive that no-trade clause will become a topic of conversation. He may be moved over the summer, with his approval of course, but it’s hard to see a good rationale for not wanting to join the Celtics for at least the rest of this season.

Anthony’s history as a featured player who does not struggle for shot volume helps explain why he’d rather stay in New York right now, and that alone does look like a great fit for Boston. His prevalent allergy to defense also would not fit well with the Celtics, who have one of the league’s best defenses by virtually every measure. Outside of wanting to add some scoring punch, any interest in Anthony from Boston’s end should have been preliminary at best.

The Celtics aren’t likely to be on a list of approved trade destinations Anthony may eventually form, possibly as soon as this summer. That shouldn’t be a shock to anyone involved, and the Celtics should be glad all things considered.