The Brooklyn Nets should help facilitate a Carmelo Anthony deal

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 09: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

The New York Knicks are looking to offload their superstar forward. The team is talking to the Houston Rockets but don’t want to absorb Ryan Anderson’s contract. The Brooklyn Nets should help facilitate the deal if the team can snag additional assets.

The Brooklyn Nets just completed a deal to absorb the contract of DeMarre Carroll in order to acquire draft picks from the Toronto Raptors. By taking on the final two years and $30 million on Carroll’s deal, the team was able to restock its draft stock for the 2018 draft.

If Sean Marks has a chance, he should complete a similar deal to acquire assets in a three-way deal with the Rockets and Knicks surrounding Carmelo Anthony.

After Chris Paul was acquired by Houston in a trade, the Rockets became a destination for Anthony. The Knicks star named Houston and Cleveland as teams he would waive his no-trade clause for.

The Cavaliers weren’t willing to give up Kevin Love in a potential Anthony swap. The Rockets,

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however, are willing to give up what it takes. The team is looking to give up assets to form a big three in Houston.

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Unfortunately for the Rockets, it won’t be without some hurdles. The Knicks do not want Ryan Anderson. His contract is one of the only pacts on Houston’s books that can match Anthony’s.

That is where the Nets could come into play. The team has already taken on two large contracts in salary dumps to acquire assets.

First, the team acquired D’Angelo Russell from the Lakers. While the team did have to assume the three years and almost $50 million left on Timofey Mozgov’s deal, the team was able to land its point guard of the future.

Then there was the aforementioned Carroll trade. The team now has a draft pick in next year’s draft. Absorbing Anderson from the Rockets could net the team assets while also weakening the Knicks’ chances of landing any assets themselves.

Should the Nets get involved in a potential Anthony deal, they will be the ones to acquire all of the assets. The Knicks lost leverage after former president Phil Jackson repeatedly said the team would be better off without Anthony.

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Anderson is overpaid, but he can actually fit into the Nets plans. His 3-point shooting ability is perfect for the Nets attack, and the team could use the floor spacing he could provide. Anderson, a Nets draft pick, would now serve as a veteran presence on a young team.

Anderson in the starting lineup would allow Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to be a Swiss army knife off of the bench. The team’s current Summer League lineup, with Hollis-Jefferson, Caris LeVert, Isaiah Whitehead, and Spencer Dinwiddie could become one of the league’s more intriguing second units.

If the Nets can acquire a draft pick or more, taking on Anderson’s remaining three years and over $60 million would be worth the deal. Having veterans who can contribute will help the Nets in the short term and allow their young guns to develop at a more deliberate pace.