Let’s say you are an executive in your first full season in charge of an N.B.A. team. You did not expect to be good right away and you have relatively few long-term commitments. Before the season, you predicted a playoff appearance and figured you would build from there.

Instead, you find yourself at the helm of perhaps the N.B.A.'s second worst team. Your prized triangle offense is not being adopted quickly, your fan base seems horrified by the losing and your signature superstar, whom you just resigned to a five-year, $124 million contract, suddenly has a bad back, a bad knee and an ambiguous attitude in terms of adopting said prized triangle offense.

Welcome to the world of Phil Jackson, the Knicks’ president.

In today’s N.B.A. it is not in vogue to struggle through a bad period and try to become better. The name of the game is “blow it up and start again,” and if Jackson decided he wanted to take that route, it would be hard to argue that hanging on to Carmelo Anthony was a step in the right direction.

There are complications, of course, should Jackson want to rid himself of Anthony, even beyond his exorbitant salary and physical maladies. The superstar small forward has a no-trade clause and a bonus in his contract that calls for a 15 percent raise if he is traded, and he is unlikely to accept a deal to any team that he does not see as a good long-term fit.

He also said the following last week when asked about waiving his no-trade clause to allow the team to find him a new home: “Come on, man. After all the work I did to get here and get back here? If I was to get up and want to leave now, that would just make me weak, make me have a weak mind.”

Since an N.B.A. player denying interest in being traded has about as much to do with reality as light sabers and the force, looking at what the Knicks could possibly receive in exchange for Anthony is an interesting exercise, if only because it drives home just how immovable a contract of his size is in the current environment. For matching up salary information, Anthony’s trade bonus has been discarded, as the collective bargaining agreement allows him to waive any portion of the bonus necessary to make a trade work under the cap.

Suspension of disbelief may be required to proceed.

Trade No. 1

Lakers receive: Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith

Knicks receive: Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin, Julius Randle

With Bryant fading quickly before our eyes — even if his field goal attempts scream loudly that he is still very much alive — the Lakers are in the market for a signature superstar. Since forming as part of the Basketball Association of America in 1948-49, the team has played just nine seasons without a top-tier Hall of Famer on the roster. While Anthony may not quite live up to Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and George Mikan, he is a phenomenal scorer who is likely to do more untethered from an offensive system ill-suited to his game.

The Knicks would get a shorter commitment in terms of Bryant, rid themselves of Smith’s unjustifiable contract and get a one-season tryout to see if Linsanity could reassert itself. Acquiring a young player with loads of potential like Randle, who is out for the season with a broken leg, could pay long-term dividends.

Trade No. 2

Bulls receive: Carmelo Anthony

Knicks receive: Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler

Anthony came incredibly close to signing with the Bulls before re-upping with the Knicks, so it is easy to see him letting this trade happen. He would be paired with a pair of defensive aces in Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, he would have a terrific second offensive option in Pau Gasol and he could serve as a mentor for Nikola Mirotic, a talented outside shooter.

The Bulls would rid themselves of the frustration of “will he or won’t he” in terms of Rose’s ability to take the court on a nightly basis, but to do so they would give up a great deal of potential considering Butler’s rapidly expanding ceiling and the off chance that Rose ends up in a long stretch of health.

The move would leave the Bulls thin in the backcourt, but a combination of Aaron Brooks and another guard could work.

Presenting this trade to Coach Tom Thibodeau, who is known for valuing defense and hard work above all else, would at least provide some levity.

A trade of Anthony for Gibson and Noah would also work under the salary cap but would leave the Knicks without an offense and the Bulls without a defense.

Trade No. 3

Celtics receive: Carmelo Anthony

Knicks receive: Rajon Rondo, Brandon Bass

This is the “get out of jail free” card for Jackson. Rondo and Bass are on expiring contracts, so it would offer a no-risk chance to see how Rondo runs the triangle. If Jackson did not like what he saw he would shed that cap space going forward. The Celtics have not seemed particularly committed to Rondo, who is not helping his case by performing horribly as a shooter, and they would receive a star to build around in Anthony.

Persuading Anthony to waive his no-trade clause to go to a noncompetitive team with few young assets to support him might be difficult, but there has to be some cachet in the idea of resurrecting a once-proud franchise. Knicks fans may think the team would be worse in the short term, but they should probably be reminded that the team’s record with Anthony is 5-21.

Trade No. 4

Nuggets receive: Carmelo Anthony

Knicks receive: Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov

The time machine. This would undo the 2011 trade that brought Anthony to New York, and amazingly, it works under the salary cap. If the Knicks could persuade Dallas to give up Raymond Felton, which seems doable, the whole band could get back together.

Gallinari is working his way back from knee surgery but has considerable potential. Mozgov is a rebounding machine. Chandler does not bring a ton to the table in terms of value, but the comedic value alone makes it a must to include him.

Denver, which has fallen on hard times, would get back the superstar the team has lacked since the trade, and Anthony would have his own “coming home” story, just like LeBron James.

It’s perfect.

F500ONE wrote:lol @ all of those

Fixed

F500ONE wrote:lol @ some of those

Why?

smackeddog wrote:You read article like that and think: I too could be a highly paid journalist

exactly ... a stupid article with stupid proposals

Bonn1997 wrote:

F500ONE wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

F500ONE wrote:lol @ some of those

Why?

For starters

The Bulls would never do that deal

Not even if their roster was duplicated across the 29 other teams sans Knicks

I'm not even a Derrick Rose fan myself although when right he's right

Would love Jimmy Butler in Blue & Orange though

Fair enough. We need to get out of Melo's contract and all those deals would be gifts to us.

They would, but it shows you how "Dire Straight"

Our Situation is///// Phil "Gave Money For Nothing and Melo's Kicks Aren't Free"

Splat wrote:The trade proposals are meaningless. That the Times is even publishing such an article is the point. The campaign to move Melo is underway. Sources are pushing this angle out to seed trade interest.

The two headed moron named JRod Grumblefuk will now post boring taunts. I can always tell when those two idiots have got themselves up in a lather by the number of ignored posts that follow mine.

Yeah Melo's campaign ran strong at one point his lobbyists

Were growing faster than the sands of the seashore

Then Whamo playoff failures and lottery soon abounded

Then he took himself off Wax into the Digital age toying wit the emotions

And thirst for this franchise to become a success again

It's On like Donkey Kong now