The Los Angeles Lakers are 9-22, have next to no chance of making the postseason this season, and are actively being shot out of games by their legendary shooting guard Kobe Bryant.
He is scoring 24.1 points per game, but his field goal percentage sits at just 37 percent, his 3-point shooting has cratered (27.5 percent) and he is launching 22 shots a night, his most since the 2005-06 season.
The Lakers lavished a huge contract upon him that most would view as untradeable. But for our purposes here, let's assume that nothing is untradeable. If the Lakers could free themselves of Kobe's deal, what team could use him?
How about a trade to the New York Knicks that would truly break the internet?
Knicks Receive: Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin
Lakers Receive: Carmelo Anthony, Iman Shumpert, Cleanthony Early
The Knicks just inked 'Melo long term to be the guy in the Big Apple, but as great a scorer as Anthony is, he's proving that he just is not the type of superstar that elevates his teammates to another level.
New York has lost 18 of their last 19 games, and if the plan is attracting big-time free agents, winning as many games as the Philadelphia 76ers who are actively trying to lose as much as possible isn't much of a pitch.
Phil Jackson's in town, and the Triangle offense is here to stay. Who knows the Triangle better than Kobe, who won five rings with it? Kobe has the same star power as Carmelo, plus his contract is done after next season. Jeremy Lin would return home to a place where the fans adored him during the short-lived "Linsanity" era.
Bryant also has a deep history with first-year Knicks coach Derek Fisher, who has struggled to implement Jackson's offense. Bryant's familiarity with the system and leadership qualities may aid Fisher in lessening the learning curve for the remaining players.
For L.A., they get a bona fide star who isn't past his prime, a tough defender on the perimeter with big upside (Shumpert), and a rookie with high upside that costs very little (Early).
Anthony re-signed with the Knicks knowing there would be growing pains, but few could've expected such hardship. A trade to L.A. means going into another losing situation, but one with promise. Next season L.A. does have cap room, has a history of attracting free agents, and keeps him in a major media market.
Anthony might even have a better supporting cast, believe it or not. Nick Young's outplayed J.R. Smith this season, while Jordan Hill's posted better numbers as a starting center than Samuel Dalembert.
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