Rumors: Carmelo Anthony is Gone if Knicks Botch Free Agency
Carmelo Anthony wants to remain a member of the New York Knicks. If Phil Jackson fails to strike gold in free agency, ‘Melo’s tone could change.
Carmelo Anthony wants to spend the rest of his career with the New York Knicks. He signed a five-year contract that includes a player option for 2018-19, which thus means he’ll next enter free agency at either 34 or 35 years of age.
When the best efforts of an organization to acquire championship-caliber talent fail, and the dream of an elusive championship drifts further by the day, what a player wants doesn’t always work out.
Anthony and the Knicks are on pace to the miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season. With no draft picks and limited cap space, optimism has been curved as the Knicks face an uphill battle to restore New York to glory.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN, the ultimatum for the Knicks is as follows: give Anthony a cast of co-stars and quality role players, or prepare for his departure.
"Anthony has said several times he’s committed to New York and has no plans to waive his no-trade clause. And he’s had the opportunity to do so. Boston expressed interest in Anthony prior to the trade deadline but was told Anthony had no desire to leave the Knicks via trade to play for the Celtics, sources say.But there are some in the organization who believe Anthony may change his stance — and look into his options on the trade market — if the Knicks fail to add talent in free agency, according to league sources with knowledge of the situation."
Even the most committed of Knicks fans should be able to understand why Anthony would feel this way.
Anthony re-signed with New York prior to the 2014-15 NBA regular season, and team president Phil Jackson proceeded to part ways with every last trace of the 54-win 2012-13 team’s roster. The likes of Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, and Amar’e Stoudemire were all cast away in one way or another.
What was left for Anthony to play with was a cast of D-League call-ups and fringe NBA players who helped the Knicks win just 17 games—a number that was admittedly influenced by Anthony’s season-ending knee injury.
A season later, Anthony had no chance to ease into his return, with New York starting relatively well, but relying heavily upon his production. The roster had certainly improved, but Anthony’s supporting cast included a rookie in Kristaps Porzingis, an injured shooting guard in Arron Afflalo, and an always solid, but rarely spectacular Robin Lopez.
When New York’s second unit collapsed, so too did its postseason aspirations.
Thus, one can’t help but empathize with Anthony if a trade is what he pursues this coming summer. He’ll turn 32 in May, has never reached the NBA Finals, and has a rather small window in regards to competing for and winning a championship as a true franchise centerpiece.
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Unless Jackson is able to surround him with a significantly upgraded roster, Anthony will reportedly pursue an opportunity to win elsewhere.