Oct 9, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots the ball over Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) in the first quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Could Washington Wizards Acquire Carmelo Anthony?

Even though we’re in the final stretch of the Washington Wizards‘ season, the summer is right around the corner.

This summer is undoubtedly going to be one of the most important in franchise history for Washington. Their plans to target Kevin Durant have been widely known for at least the past few seasons. With that said, virtually every team in the league has been planning to make a run at the D.C. native.

Durant is going to have plenty of suitors – some with more appeal than his hometown and some with less.

Washington is going to sell Durant on the idea of playing for his hometown and competing for a championship in the Eastern Conference, which is a lot less top-heavy than the West.

He would avoid facing the likes of San Antonio and Golden State and would only have to realistically leap the Cleveland Cavaliers, who’ve proven to be unable to play consistent championship caliber basketball.

Other teams, like the Warriors and Thunder, will sell Durant on the success they’ve already experienced. Leaving someone like Russell Westbrook to join the Wizards or Boston Celtics would be considered ridiculously bold. Choosing not to play along side Stephen Curry might be even more bold.

Most teams around the league are going to be clamoring for an opportunity to get Durant, but obviously, only one will get the chance to print the contract. The teams that missed out on the former MVP need backup plans.

We’ve already discussed the free agent market, but we’ve yet to discuss the potential trades that could occur this summer.

As disappointing as they have been this season, there have been teams in the league that have been equally – if not more – as disappointing as the Wizards.

The Houston Rockets expected to compete for a championship after making the Conference Finals last year.

They added borderline All-Star Ty Lawson to their roster and expected him to be their final piece to the puzzle.

Houston is currently fighting to hold onto a low seed in the West and will likely get bounced out of the first round by the Warriors, Spurs or Thunder.

The Chicago Bulls also expected to compete for a championship in the East after dismissing Tom Thibodeau and adding Fred Hoiberg.

Like Washington, the Bulls are trying to sneak into the playoffs. Their best player, Jimmy Butler, has also expressed his displeasure with the coach and the way Chicago has played this season.

The top players on teams that haven’t had the success they expected will be included in trade rumors.

Kevin Love has failed to find a role with the Cavaliers in his second year, the aforementioned Butler is unhappy in Chicago, and DeMarcus Cousins has constantly been in the rumor mill all throughout his six-year career.

The name that often goes unmentioned, though, is Carmelo Anthony.

The New York Knicks – for whatever reason – believed they could compete for a playoff spot in the East this season. Kristaps Porzingis gave the team an early spark, but the rookie big man hasn’t been able to consistently give them quality production. The signings of Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo haven’t worked out as well as the team thought it would, too.

Now, the Knicks will be left with a choice: continue to build around their young core and waste Anthony’s career or trade Anthony for more young assets.

In a recent interview with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, Anthony spoke about his current situation with the Knicks:

“I guess I have all the power. If I really wanted to get out of this situation I could have waived that no-trade clause. But I’ve stuck with it and I’m still sticking with it. I don’t know, maybe my loyalty has come back to bite me in the ass. As of right now, I am sticking to it.”

Anthony, who would have to waive his no-trade clause in order to find a new NBA home, would also have plenty of suitors.

Teams that miss out on Durant and their second option in free agency would immediately pick their phones up and call Phil Jackson. One of those teams could be the Washington Wizards, as Tom Ziller of SB Nation pointed out:

Let Melo be the answer for one lucky team, whether that’s the Lakers (L.A. is glamorous), Rockets (compete for a title with James Harden), Mavericks (no income tax in Texas, be Dirk’s successor and become a future Mark Cuban investment partner), Celtics (a competitive young team with a respected coach) or the Wizards (Baltimore’s your real hometown, right?).

Out of all the team’s Ziller mentioned, the Wizards would have the most likely ability to compete for a championship immediately upon adding Anthony to their roster. The Rockets – once again – are stuck in no man’s land out West. Getting through the Spurs or Warriors would be practically impossible.

The Lakers don’t have much talent and Anthony is going to turn 32-years-old in a few months. Waiting for DeAngelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson to pan out would be a waste of his career.

The Mavericks are also stuck in the West and will lose Dirk Nowitzki to father time very soon. Boston lacks another star and haven’t had much success in the playoffs yet.

In Washington, Anthony would have the offensive pressure taken off him. John Wall is more than capable of running an offense. Wherever Anthony has played, he was considered the go-to option. Really, Anthony was considered the first, second and third option. Anthony simply isn’t good enough to run a basic offense through and yield success.

Wall has never played with another All-Star before and he’s entering the prime of his career. He would be able to create for Anthony, instead of constantly feeding him the ball in isolation situations and hoping it works out.

Washington would instantly become a contender in the East. With Wall, Anthony and Bradley Beal leading the team, the Wizards would be the most interesting team during the 2016-17 NBA season.

The Wizards would have to part ways with Otto Porter, multiple picks and maybe Kelly Oubre as well. At this point, though, it’s undeniable that having Anthony in Washington would be very intriguing, at least as a backup plan to Kevin Durant.

What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments section.