When Jonah Bolden was signed by the 76ers Wednesday morning, the final piece was in place for the big Carmelo Anthony trade to Atlanta to finally go through.
It has and the three-team deal is now official, the teams involved announced.
As a reminder:
• Atlanta gets Carmelo Anthony (who they will quickly turn around and buyout/waive at full salary), Justin Anderson (from 76ers), and a protected 2022 first-round pick (from Thunder, lottery protected).
• Oklahoma City gets Dennis Schroder (from Hawks), and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (from 76ers).
• Philadelphia gets Mike Muscala (from Hawks).
Anthony got what he wanted — out of Oklahoma City and a full payday.
As soon as Anthony clears waivers he will sign with the Houston Rockets for the minimum. Anthony will help the Rockets on offense — Houston is taking a step back defensively (having lost Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute this summer), but if Anthony can start and give Houston some buckets in the first and third quarters (keeping James Harden and Chris Paul a little more fresh) he can help the team. How well he accepts that role remains to be seen.
The Thunder will save about $73 million in salary and luxury tax with this trade. They could have saved more money by just waiving and stretching Anthony, but this move both gives them more flexibility going forward and another playmaker behind Russell Westbrook in Schroder.
“We want to welcome Dennis and Timothé to Oklahoma City and the Thunder,” OKC General Manager Sam Presti said in a statement. “Both of these players represent the continued transition of our style of play. Dennis provides us with another proven playmaker and someone that will only enhance the overall speed of our team. Timothé adds another young, long, versatile wing that can play multiple positions and complement our returning core.”
This trade was agreed to last week but certain pieces had to fall into place before it could become official.