For many years, Carmelo Anthony has been at the forefront of the New York Knicks offense. With a no-trade clause enclosed in his contract, it seemed that the many time Olympian would retire as a Knick.
All that is bound to change though as the trade deadline draws near. As reported by Business Insider, it seems that the Knicks are keen on rebuilding and Carmelo Anthony is no longer part of that plan. The report says that Knicks President Phil Jackson is shopping around for a team for their main man. Jackson wants to get rid of Anthony and start building his team around Kristap Porzingis.
The Knicks have gone 4-14 in their last 18 games for a 20-27 record for the season. But with still $124 million and a no-trade clause, the job of shipping Anthony out of the team has become more difficult for Phil Jackson. While Melo has reiterated his desire to stay with New York, the nine-time Olympian said he is willing to waive his no-trade clause if the team no longer wanted him.
A report that appeared in Forbes revealed that Phil Jackson has already talked with several teams about a potential trade involving Anthony. Among the teams, Jackson has already talked with include Cleveland, Boston, and Los Angeles Clippers. The Cavs has already turned down the Carmelo Anthony for Kevin Love trade. Besides, the defending NBA champions already have Lebron James and Kyrie Irving in the fold and adding a third ball-dominant player does not make sense.
With the Clippers, the Knicks can arrange a deal that does not involve the Big 3 of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan. They could trade for JJ Reddick, Jamal Crawford, or Austin Rivers but the Knicks are unlikely to bite to such offer.
According to a report in Yahoo News, the growing friction between the Knicks front office and its longtime star could result to a parting of ways in the near future.
