Renowned NBA trainer says Carmelo Anthony was in awe of Kevin Porter Jr.

After an off-the-court incident in the Cleveland Cavaliers locker room, the team decided it had enough of Kevin Porter Jr’s antics and decided to part ways with the 20-year-old by trading him to the Houston Rockets.

The move was surprising, considering how much the team valued the University of Southern California product.

Apparently, even Carmelo Anthony of the Portland Trail Blazers was impressed with Porter, as Porter’s trainer Chris Brickley told Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

“He’s super talented and anyone that sees him play says the same thing,” Brickley said. “Even this summer, him and Melo were working out together and Melo was like: ‘Man, this kid’s really good’. He’s very athletic, he can shoot the ball very well, much improved since his college days. This summer he was shooting it at a very high percentage. He can handle the ball, very good defensively, very quick and athletic. He has all the tools that you need to be successful at the NBA level.”

Despite his obvious talent, the Cavs were no longer willing to deal with everything that came along with a potentially promising future in the NBA for Porter.

Cleveland has been building for the future and added some talented players like Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. Porter would’ve made a dynamic trio for the struggling franchise, but now he’ll try to resurrect his career with the Rockets.

Porter is currently playing with the Rockets’ G League Rio Grande Valley Vipers.