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New York Knicks: Is Carmelo Anthony preparing to stay?

By Maxwell Ogden

Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks participates in warmups prior to a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center on March 8, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks participates in warmups prior to a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center on March 8, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. /
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New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony continues to train with his teammates. Is he preparing to play for the Knicks in 2017-18?

Entering the 2017 NBA offseason, it appeared to be a foregone conclusion that the New York Knicks would trade Carmelo Anthony. Former team president Phil Jackson was desperate to get Anthony out of New York, and ‘Melo eventually caved at the end of his months-long fight to stay.

As the Knicks struggle to find a trade that works, however, it appears as though Anthony is preparing for the possibility of beginning the 2017-18 season in New York.

Anthony will be eligible for free agency in 2018, which has inevitably strengthened the trade rumors. Due to the fact that he has a no-trade clause and just one team he’s willing to waive it for, however, the Knicks haven’t been able to move ‘Melo elsewhere.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Knicks and Rockets have stalled trade negotiations and are accepting that Anthony may still be with New York come training camp.

In the days that have followed, evidence has mounted that implies Anthony is accepting his fate.

As the legend of Hoodie Melo continues to grow, Anthony is constantly finding new offseason training partners. He’s worked with trainer Chris Brickley to polish his skill set and improve his physical fitness, and has played pickup games with the likes of Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

The most recent video to surface is one that paints a compelling picture for the Knicks: Anthony playing with current Knicks players Tim Hardaway Jr., Frank Ntilikina, and Lance Thomas.

Anthony has existing friendships with Hardaway Jr. and Thomas, but the inclusion of Ntilikina poses a significant question: Is the franchise player preparing for a return to New York?

It’s entirely possible that Anthony is simply practicing and training with the players he’s developed the closest relationships with over the past four years. It’s also possible that it’s a matter of proximity, as said players play for a team that’s stationed in the city that Anthony is training in.

One simply can’t play blind and pretend to not see Anthony training with the player whom New York drafted at No. 8 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Brickley trains both Anthony and Ntilikina, which could explain the occurrence, but it’s fair to believe that Melo is exploring how good the French phenom can be in 2017-18 and beyond.

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The question is: Are these training sessions a sign of things to come with the New York Knicks? Or is Carmelo Anthony simply looking for NBA players to help keep him fresh?

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