Amare Stoudemire, LeBron James Praise Carmelo Anthony Trade

Read More: LeBron James (F - MIA), Miami Heat

The Carmelo Anthony mega-trade wouldn’t be complete unless a few of the NBA’s biggest stars chimed in to offer opinions on the deal that will send Anthony to New York to play alongside Amare Stoudemire. Both LeBron James and Stoudemire praised the trade on Tuesday, with Stoudemire happy to have Anthony in New York and James glad the Knicks appear to be on the way up.

James took it as a compliment that the Knicks appear to be building a roster to compete with the Heat while also saying a relevant New York team is good for the league.

“I think it is great for the NBA, the Knicks are back,” James said of the trade. “The other teams are trying to compete [with the Heat] and I think that is great.”

The irony of James, who was courted by the Knicks this past summer, speaking about having the Knicks on the way up is almost too good to be true.

For Stoudemire, the addition of Anthony helps alleviate some of the scoring burden from his shoulders, giving the Knicks a solid scoring tandem going forward. It’s better than a one-two punch, he says, and will create matchup problems for the team’s opponents.

“Every team needs a 1, 1A punch,” Stoudemire said. “And so with the ways that we both can score … we’re very versatile, so it’s hard to guard us.”

It remains to be seen if the Knicks are ready to challenge some of the Eastern Conference’s elite, but picking up Anthony, no matter the price, is a step in the right direction. Anthony will make his debut against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night amid hoopla that’s reached astonishing heights. The Knicks will reportedly roll out a fresh lineup on Wednesday, with Chauncey Billups, Landry Fields and Ronny Turiaf joining Anthony and Stoudemire.

For more on the deal, check out our Carmelo Anthony trade StoryStream.