Cleveland Cavaliers trade talk: On trading JR Smith for Carmelo Anthony

As the Cleveland Cavaliers fall further into the tank, why not talk talk about a trade involving Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith?

Amico Hoops founder Sam Amico recently made an intriguing case as to why the Cleveland Cavaliers should trade J.R. Smith to the Houston Rockets for Carmelo Anthony.

Amico’s right in that their everyone would turn their nose up at the No. 3 pick in the 2003 draft because he’s old and really offers the Cavs no hope of turning things around.

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However, if it means unloading J.R. Smith’s contract, Amico would make the deal in second. Smith is to earn $15.6 million next season, but only $3.4 million is guaranteed. For Amico, that sum is still too high because he contends it could still prohibit the Cavs from signing a young player.

Anthony is only making $2.3 million this season and will be a free agent at season’s end, so the Cavs would have to take on some other players in potential package to make the money match.

Another reason to do this trade: Houston is the only team that’s showed any interest in Smith, a guy who hasn’t played since November.

In theory, his contract will become to easier to trade over the summer when teams can cut him and only pay him the $3.4 million that’s guaranteed, but even then, there’s no certainty that anyone will actually want him.

For the fans, why wouldn’t you want this deal? There are zero reasons to attend a Cavaliers game right now. At least Anthony would be a name you could watch for a couple of months.

Plus, despite being a longtime veteran, the guy can still score and the Cavs desperately need someone who can put the ball through the hoop because they’re leaning pretty heavily on Jordan Clarkson.

Or, if they don’t really want him near the roster, they can simply waive him after the deal is completed.

I’d actually prefer to keep him for the remainder of the season.

Remember when the Cavs made that great trade to land what became the No. 1 pick in the draft (Kyrie Irving). Baron Davis also came in the deal. For what was a horrendous season, watching Davis lead the Cavs to some victories was at least fun.

With Anthony in the mix, maybe the Cavs could get a couple nice wins over some top teams in the Eastern Conference. It wouldn’t make a difference in the grand scheme of things, but sheesh, have you watched this basketball team lately. The answer is probably no because they’re frankly unwatchable.

For what it’s worth, two GM’s were asked if the Cavs should look into this trade. One said they would look into it, while the other said “No.”

Again, big picture wise, this doesn’t matter. As long as the Cavs have one of the worst three records, they’ve got a shot to get Zion Williamson.

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Anthony won’t make them appreciably better, but going to a game may not feel like torture if you at least get to watch a future Hall of Famers.

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