OKLAHOMA CITY, Sept. 25, 2017 – The Oklahoma City Thunder has acquired forward Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks in exchange for forward Doug McDermott, center Enes Kanter and the Chicago Bulls’ 2018 second round draft pick, Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today.
Anthony, (6-8, 240) a 10-time All-Star and 14-year NBA veteran joins the Thunder having appeared in 976 career games (all starts) while averaging 24.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.06 steals in 36.2 minutes.
“We are thrilled to welcome Carmelo to Oklahoma City and the Thunder organization,” said Presti. “In addition to his skill level, experience, and unique talents, Carmelo is another high character, professional player for our roster.”
Anthony currently ranks 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list (24,156 points) and he is one of six players in league history (alongside Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce) to record 24,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, 2,500 assists, 1,000 steals and 1,000 3-point field goals.
Anthony led the NBA in scoring during the 2012-13 season (28.7 points per game) and during the 2009-10 season, he became the third youngest player in NBA history to reach the 12,000-point plateau (behind LeBron James and Kobe Bryant).
A three-time Olympic gold medalist, Anthony is the United States Olympic Men’s National Team’s all-time leading scorer. After winning Gold in Rio de Janeiro, Anthony was named the 2016 Basketball Co-Male Athlete of the Year.
Originally selected by the Denver Nuggets with the third overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Anthony helped lead Syracuse to a National Championship during his freshman season in which he was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player.
McDermott has appeared in 183 career games (nine starts) in three NBA seasons and averaged 8.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 20.2 minutes.
Kanter has seen action in 445 career games (114 starts) during his six-year NBA career and he owns averages of 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 21.3 minutes.