As the Oklahoma City Thunder prepare to move on from Carmelo Anthony, the Miami Heat have now entered the sweepstakes for the 1o-time All-Star, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Anthony chose to opt into his $27.9 salary for the 2018-19 season, but the Thunder are keen on moving on from the 34-year-old - via buyout or trade. Per Wojnarowski, Oklahoma City is allowing Anthony to meet with the Miami Heat and Houston Rockets as he prepares to play for his third team in as many years.
Last week, Wojnarowski noted that the Thunder would like to move on from Anthony as they try to cut back from a "historic $310 million payroll." Cutting ties with him would save the franchise over $100 million.
Oklahoma City re-signed All-Star Paul George to a four-year, $137 max extension, which put them in the extremely high payroll territory. He and Russell Westbrook formed excellent chemistry together, but the same cannot be said for Anthony.
After a strong 2016-17 campaign with the New York Knicks, Anthony was expected to be a big part of the Thunder's success in 2017-18. Instead, he set careers lows in points and assists per game (16.2 and 1.3, respectively), and shot a woeful .404 from the field - far below his career .449 percentage.
But a team like the Miami Heat could use a player like Anthony. There's a good core there led by Hassan Whiteside, Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson and Dion Waiters. The Heat have made the playoffs in eight of the last 10 seasons, so Anthony would be joining a postseason contender.
Anthony's age, expensive salary for 2018-19 and declining production means a trade would be unlikely, and he may have to accept a buyout. That would work well for potential suitors like Houston and Miami, who could get Anthony under a much cheaper contract while saving them valuable cap space.
There are a handful of teams that could use Anthony, but it looks like the Rockets and the Heat are the frontrunners. We shouldn't wait much longer to learn where he'll suit up for 2018-19.