Carmelo Anthony Trade: 5 trade packages for Carmelo Anthony that will benefit both parties

The Oklahoma City Thunder finished their second consecutive season with an ignominious first-round exit. This time around, they even had home court against the Utah Jazz, but their loss in Game 2 proved to be too much for them to overcome, as the Jazz ramped up their execution in clutch time in Game 6 to close the deal then and there.

Carmelo Anthony performed way below par in the postseason, and in a press conference following the Thunder's exit, he stated the following:

"The player that they wanted me to be and needed me to be was for the sake of this season...Everything was just thrown together, and it wasn't anything that was planned out. It wasn’t no strategy to me being here, me being a part of the actual system and what type of player and things like that."

"As far as being effective as that type of player, I don’t think I can be effective as that type of player. I think I was willing to accept that challenge and that role, but I think I bring a little bit more to the game as far as being more knowledgeable and what I still can do as a basketball player."

He confirmed that he intends to opt in for the final year of his contract, which guarantees him nearly $28 million for the 2018-19 season. Amid rumors that the front office is looking to trade him away, we present 5 plausible trade packages to you which the Thunder could execute over this offseason:

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#1 Sacramento Kings

Garrett Temple is a handy 3-point shooter

What the Kings receive: Carmelo Anthony, cash considerations

What the Thunder receive: Iman Shumpert, Kosta Koufos and Garrett Temple

Why the Kings agree to the deal: The Kings do not have a true scorer on their roster. With veterans Zach Randolph and Vince Carter out of a contract this summer, the Kings have just $61 million in guaranteed wages for the 2018-19 season.

They could look to the free agent market to try and sign some of the high-scoring players available this offseason, but ultimately, few players have ever gone to Sactown as free agents.

By trading for Anthony, they can add a scorer who can get his own points on every night, while Anthony's veteran experience will be of good use to a team that's losing its two seniormost players for next season.

Why the Thunder agree to the deal: Iman Shumpert has been one of the better late-first-round draft picks of the 2010s. In full fitness and with a good offseason with his team, the Thunder can mould Shumpert back into the player who the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for in January 2015.

Garrett Temple, while playing the second-highest number of minutes per game through his career last season, averaged a 39.2% conversion rate on 3.5 attempts from downtown. The Thunder do not have a reliable 3-point shooter on their roster, which is why they would welcome this aid to their long-range shooting.

Kosta Koufos is on an expiring deal and can be traded mid-season to a team looking to free up cap space to pursue one of the big free agent targets in the summer of 2019.

#2 New Orleans Pelicans

E'Twaun Moore (right) shot 42.5% from downtown in this year's regular season

What the Pelicans receive: Carmelo Anthony

What the Thunder receive: E'Twaun Moore, Solomon Hill, Alex Ajinca and cash considerations

Why the Pelicans agree to the deal: The Pelicans have declared their intent to re-sign DeMarcus Cousins this offseason to a long-term contract, and will probably follow through on their promise. Yet, we saw early this season that despite having 4 players who've been on All-Star teams at some point in their career, the Pelicans were clearly not able to pack enough of a scoring punch from the perimeter.

Signing Carmelo Anthony gives them a player with the ability to knock down jump shots from a variety of ranges. Should they re-sign Rajon Rondo this summer, they will also have a playmaker with the ability to put the ball in Carmelo's hands at the best possible junctures of an offensive possession.

A lineup of 5 All-Star caliber players is possibly the only recipe to beat the 4 All-Stars residing in Oaktown.

Why the Thunder agree to the deal: In E'Twaun Moore, the Thunder receive a 3-and-D player with the ability to get really hot from distance on his day. While Moore has his off days, he is an above-average player on defense and will never be a net negative on the whole even on those days.

Adding Solomon Hill improves the Thunder's depth chart at the forward positions, and gives them another reliable defender with the physique to take on assignments at multiple positions during the course of a game.

Ajinca's expiring contract is another asset the Thunder can use to sign players during the mid-season trade window.

#3 Detroit Pistons

Jon Leuer (right) will add to OKC's bench strength

What the Pistons receive: Carmelo Anthony

What the Thunder receive: Ish Smith, Jon Leuer, Langston Galloway, Eric Moreland and cash considerations

Why the Pistons agree to the deal: While the Pistons did receive a boost in their bid for playoff qualification by trading for Blake Griffin, they lost out on much of the scoring punch they had at the start of the season in the form of Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris.

Signing Carmelo gives them a real second option to play through, and should increase their scoring punch significantly. Reggie Bullock could be either moved to the 2-guard position or given a bench role as a 3-and-D player.

Why the Thunder agree to the deal: In Ish Smith, the Thunder will find a passable point guard with age on his side who can run their second unit effectively, as Raymond Felton is out of contract this summer. Ishmael averaged nearly 11 points per game in the 2017-18 regular season and held his own for the second half of the season after Reggie Jackson went down with injury.

Leuer and Galloway add to the frontcourt depth within the Thunder roster and give them viable options when Adams takes the bench.

#4 Denver Nuggets

The Manimal has seen better days

What the Nuggets receive: Carmelo Anthony

What the Thunder receive: Kenneth Faried, Darrell Arthur, Juan Hernangomez, Malik Beasley and cash considerations

Why the Nuggets agree to the deal: The Nuggets, like a couple of other teams discussed in the slides before, lack a pure scorer with the ability to take over a game in clutch time with his scoring. Their highest scorer in most games is Jokic himself, who has too much of an offensive load on his shoulders.

Receiving prodigal son Carmelo back would restore some semblance of pure scoring ability in this team, which only looks to youngsters Jamal Murray and Gary Harris during clutch situations - neither of them is currently capable of giving you a guaranteed W with the game on the line, though they might well be able to do so in the future.

Why the Thunder agree to the deal: Kenneth Faried has become the forgotten man in the Mile High City roster after being a high-flying player during his years under the rookie contract. Currently, a number of other power forwards and centers are ahead of him in the Nuggets roster, and a move to a different team might just be the cure for the malaise that has gripped his career.

Juan Hernangomez and Malik Beasley are youngsters who have the opportunity to become reliable role players - as they have displayed in limited minutes over the course of the '17-18 regular season. Playing with the likes of Westbrook and Adams should help them on the mental side of things a lot.

Darrell Arthur carries trade value as a player on an expiring contract, rather than anything his play adds to a roster.

#5 Charlotte Hornets

Marvin Williams would bolster Thunder's prowess from downtown

What the Hornets receive: Carmelo Anthony

What the Thunder receive: Marvin Williams and Cody Zeller

Why the Hornets agree to the deal: The Hornets have languished in the lottery for a while now, mainly because of their inability to find quality offense from anyone other than Kemba Walker on a consistent basis. Adding Carmelo to their roster remedies this shortcoming, while also freeing them of the financial commitment they've made over a longer term to Williams and Zeller.

This financial flexibility over long term will allow them to pursue free agents in the summer of 2019 with full vigor. Besides, Anthony is a Jordan Brand athlete, and adding him to their roster allows MJ to market him in ways the Hornets have been unable to adapt in the recent past. Anthony is a crowd-puller as well, and this will significantly help their falling attendance numbers.

Why the Thunder agree to the deal: Marvin Williams has shot over 40% from 3-point territory twice in his career (including the last season, when he shot 41.3%) and thrice over 38% (he had a season in Atlanta with a 38.9% clip). This increases the spacing afforded to Westbrook and gives him another option to kick out to on his drives.

Cody Zeller is a backup center worth adding to most NBA rosters even at the comparatively steep salary of nearly $13 million that he currently commands. Zeller has flashed enough potential in the past to indicate that he could be a valuable contributor to the Thunder on a consistent basis, given time.