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Melo Out in OKC

How a Promising Acquisition Became a Ridiculed Liability

By Kyle Jordan FergusonPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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What was once the most valuable startup in the association, the Oklahoma City Thunder, is now looking shaky as they look to shed their $310 million dollar payroll and luxury taxes after signing Paul George to essentially a $290 million dollar contract. Last summer, Sam Presti looked like a genius after pulling off deals to acquire both Carmelo Anthony and Paul George. The future looked bright in Oklahoma City and they looked to have rebounded from the departure of Kevin Durant a summer ago. That future looks bleak at the moment as they move into the 2018-19 campaign. Still without much of a bench, the roster is top heavy.

Now over the weekend, news broke that the Thunder would take steps to part ways with Carmelo Anthony. Melo is coming off a season in which he posted career lows in points and shooting percentage. Combine that with non-existent defense and you have a liability. Carmelo was simply unable to carve out an identity with the team in which he could contribute. In a lot of ways this past season is a crossroads for Melo’s career. No longer is he the prolific twenty-point plus scorer that he was for over a decade. Those days are gone and everyone seems to know it but him. He has reached a point in his career in which he will need to decide how long that career will last. Coincidentally, Allen Iverson, his former teammate, reached a similar crossroads in his career. A reality that he was unwilling to accept (in all fairness I wouldn’t have come off the bench in Memphis at that time either), a decision that ultimately ended his career short. Carmelo, a step slower, and without the shooting touch that he once had, will need to face the reality that he is no longer a starter in this league. Going into his sixteenth year he will need to accept a lesser role wherever he decides to go—a role that he did not accept with the Thunder that will see him out of town. For what it's worth, not before he cashes out on the $27 million owed to him whether through buyout or trade.

The Thunder desperately need to get out from under Carmelo’s contract, if not only to save face then also to clear their books. Melo is set to make $27.9 million dollars this coming season after waiving his termination option in the final year of his deal. This leaves the Thunder with two options: either get out from under the contract via a buyout or a trade. Finding someone to take on that contract after the season that he just turned in is less than likely. A buyout at this point seems the optimal route to moving his contract off the books.

Carmelo from a basketball perspective simply does not fit in the role he desires in Oklahoma City. Russell Westbrook demands a certain tempo from his teammates. One that Anthony cannot play at in this stage in his career. He is an iso player whose powers are fading at the end of his career on a roster with two other players that can create their own shot. The ideal Melo, the one the Thunder thought they were getting, was Olympic Melo, a player that was content playing alongside other talented players who could spot up and be a consistent knockdown shooter. That Melo never showed up in Oklahoma City. Instead he shot 43 percent from two and 35 percent from three and played lackluster defense, an attribute that has eluded him throughout his career. At this point it would be difficult to see where he could go other than Golden State where he would be content being the third or probably more realistically the fourth option.

Moving forward from a basketball perspective, the Thunder still have two stars locked in for the foreseeable future in Paul George and Russell Westbrook. However, their problem is the bench. Their bench was horrendous last season. The Thunder bench ranked 28th in the league last season, producing an average of 26 points and 11 rebounds a game. With their current cap woes the ability to bring in help through free agency is just not there and will not be there for the next few years.

That leaves a full plate for Sam Presti. Lauded as a genius, now for the first time in his Thunder tenure he must face criticism. A team with Russell Westbrook and Paul George did not make it out of the first round and two players that he drafted have walked and won MVPs. When you juxtapose the James Harden contract with their current cap situation, it makes you wonder how we got here. A lot can change in a year. Just last summer he could do no wrong after acquiring Paul George and Carmelo Anthony via trade. Now in a loaded Western Conference, he is locked into a massive salary and two stars that will not be enough to reach the Finals with zero room to maneuver. Now, take into consideration his previous moves he has earned the equity to turn this around. But the clock is ticking. And if Sooner football fans are any indication, he doesn’t have much time before Thunder fans begin calling for his head.

basketball
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About the Creator

Kyle Jordan Ferguson

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