NEW YORK, September 25, 2017 – The New York Knickerbockers announced today that the team has acquired center Enes Kanter, forward Doug McDermott and Chicago’s 2018 second-round draft pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for forward Carmelo Anthony.
“This is a deal we feel works for both this franchise and Carmelo. We thank him for his seven seasons in a Knicks uniform and all that he accomplished off the court for the City of New York by using his platform to address social issues,” President Steve Mills said. “We will continue to focus on this team looking forward towards the immediate and long-term future. As we have said recently, this is a new beginning for the New York Knicks.”
Kanter, 6-11, 245-pounds, is a six-year NBA veteran who holds career averages of 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 445 games played for Utah and Oklahoma City. In 72 games for the Thunder last season, the 25-year-old Switzerland native averaged 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds, while recording the second-most point-rebound double-doubles in the NBA off the bench with 18.
McDermott, 6-8, 225-pounds, is a three-year NBA who holds career averages of 8.0 points in 183 games played for Chicago and Oklahoma City. In 66 games for the Bulls and Thunder last season, the 25-year-old Grand Forks, ND native averaged 9.0 points and 22.8 minutes.
“We acquired two 25-year-old players in this deal that we can develop, while sticking with our overall strategy of emphasizing youth and athleticism. With this trade, we have added scoring and aggressiveness to our frontcourt, and bolstered the team’s perimeter shooting,” Knicks General Manager Scott Perry said. “We are glad to have finalized a trade that made sense for all of us.”
Anthony, 6-8, 240-pounds, has spent the past seven seasons in a Knicks uniforms since his acquisition from Denver on Feb. 22, 2011. The 10-time NBA All-Star had represented the Eastern Conference in the mid-season classic for the past six consecutive years, and finished his Knicks career as the team’s seventh all-time leading scorer with 10,186 points and No. 3 on the franchise’s scoring average list at 24.7 points per game. On Jan. 14, 2014 versus the Charlotte Bobcats, Anthony recorded the greatest single-game scoring performance in team annals, pouring in a career-high 62 at Madison Square Garden – a record at the current building. Leading the Knicks in scoring for the seventh consecutive season, the 33-year-old Brooklyn native averaged 22.4 points (22nd in NBA) and 5.9 rebounds in 74 games in 2016-17.
