After all of the turmoil between Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks, the ten time NBA All-Star waived his no trade clause to accept a trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Anthony, who was looking to join the Houston Rockets but previous trade attempts ended up fruitless, added the Thunder and Cavaliers as teams he would waive his clause for.

Coming back to to New York are Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and a second round pick from Chicago. While the return for a player of Carmelo’s caliber would generally result in a better return, former Knicks President Phil Jackson seemingly erased any type of value Anthony had. He is still a supremely underrated player, as he was raked 64th by ESPN in the player rankings, behind rookie Lonzo Ball, who has never played a minute in the NBA. Anthony, who would presumably be the third option behind reigning MVP Russell Westbrook and younger wing Paul George, would be able to channel his inner  “Olympic Melo.”

This is a joke among NBA fans, that the Carmelo Anthony that plays every four years in the Summer Olympics is a better, different player than regular NBA Anthony. During the Olympics, Anthony is surrounded by players of Westbrook and George’s caliber, which sees his efficiency go up as well as his point total. When Carmelo isn’t the focal point of an offense, as was the case during the Olympics, he is one of the most deadly players with his size, strength, and catch-and-shoot ability.

Carmelo will finally be playing meaningful basketball where he is on a playoff caliber team and not the first option for the first time in his career.

Jason Pohl, a Sophomore, commented, “It’s kind of bittersweet to see Melo leave. He’s one of my favorite players and I know that right know, the Knicks can’t get him a ring. I think he will have a better shot at a ring with the Thunder while the Knicks can properly rebuild.”

For the Knicks, the seven year Carmelo Anthony chapter is over, with many highs and lows in memory. Now, it is the Kristaps Porzingis show. The talented 22 year old will be able to show off his skills as the focal point of a very young Knicks roster. Without a talented veteran like Carmelo to take any blame from the very stingy New York fan base as well as the media, all eyes are on Porzingis.