Still, as the start of Knicks training camp approached in September, there was no trade yet in sight and it was at that stage that Anthony abruptly instructed family members and his agent, Leon Rose, to “take the geography out of it” and start suggesting anywhere to play in the N.B.A. that made sense.

Or almost anywhere. Portland Trail Blazers star guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum had recruited Anthony all summer, but he remained resistant to the concept of a move all the way across the country to the Pacific Northwest. Instead, it gradually became clear, with input from those closest to Anthony, including Kiyan, that the Oklahoma City option was becoming the most appealing.

“My son has a basketball mind,” Anthony said. “So I will always throw little topics at him. He was like, ‘Dad, where you getting traded to?’ I told him, ‘I don’t know, where do you think I should go?’ He said: ‘You really want me to give you my opinion? I think you should go to OKC.’

“It worked out,” Anthony added.

The ultimate judgment on that will actually take a while, but there is no disputing that Anthony, at 33, looks and sounds content in his new surroundings after hearing for months that his ball-stopping ways were stunting Porzingis and the Knicks.

And for all the understandable uncertainty about how Westbrook, George and Anthony will mesh offensively, how could Oklahoma City resist the gamble? One year after losing Kevin Durant to Golden State, Thunder General Manager Sam Presti deftly acquired both George and Anthony without surrendering a single future first-round draft choice.

He was undeterred by the uncertain futures of both George and Anthony, who share the ability to become free agents in July, and in making the moves he did, he was able to shift center Steven Adams to a more befitting status as the club’s fourth-best player.

There will be questions about Oklahoma City’s defense and depth in comparison to the Warriors and Cavaliers, but it seems safe to suggest that the Thunder, as the team meshes, is bound to look more imposing next April than it will on Thursday night or even in Anthony’s Madison Square Garden return on Dec. 16. And after Westbrook uncorked a record-setting 42 triple-doubles last season to power undermanned Oklahoma City to 47 victories and emerge as the league’s most valuable player, it won’t be all on him this time — if he’s prepared to accept the assistance.