The longest trade saga of the NBA offseason has finally been resolved, as Carmelo Anthony will be traded by the New York Knicks to the Oklahoma City Thunder.It seemed like a trade would never happen, as Anthony emphasized earlier in the offseason when the Knicks expressed their desire to send him on his way that he would only denounce the no-trade clause part of his contract to go play for the Houston Rockets.However, earlier this week, the former Knicks star opened up the list of teams he wished to be traded to, as he released a list which also included the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Thunder. A deal with Oklahoma City was completed soon after.The Knicks have agreed to trade Anthony to Oklahoma City in exchange for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and a 2018 second-round draft pick, bringing an end to Melo's six-and-a-half seasons in New York.So what convinced Melo to change his mind and include the Thunder in the list of teams he would like to be traded to? It all has to do with the players they currently have down there that he would be playing alongside.According to Adrian Wojnarowski‏ of ESPN, Russell Westbrook and Paul George played a large part in getting Anthony to waive his no-trade for Oklahoma City.

With Anthony's addition at the Thunder, the team is now essentially a superteam, as Westbrook and George are just as dangerous when they have the ball in their hands. However, with them all on the same team now, sacrifices are going to have to be made by all three players in order for the franchise to have success this season.

They needed a player like Anthony though down in Oklahoma in order to challenge in the Western Conference. There are so many good teams in the Conference now, it would be difficult for the Thunder to try and compete for a Finals spot, but the addition of Melo boosts their chances.