The New York Knicks should be afraid. Very afraid.
Carmelo Anthony, the lone superstar on the Knicks’ roster can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, an opportunity he will likely seize. Then 30, this will be ‘Melo’s first chance to explore free agency, and he’s not going to pass it up.
He’ll join a free-agent class that already includes LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Kobe Bryant, among others. Teams will be flocking toward him in hopes of putting his unstoppable scoring abilities on their roster. For all the talk that he’s overrated, he’s still a superstar and with thus find himself a highly sought after commodity come next summer.
One team that is expected to show interest in ‘Melo is the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. Their first priority is to go after LeBron, but if he can’t be had, ‘Melo is Plan B.
Here’s where the fear comes into play.
Per ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith (via Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles), there is a “50-50” chance that ‘Melo flees New York for Los Angeles next summer.
Stephen A. says it's 50-50 Carmelo Anthony leaves New York next year and it's 50-50 he comes to the Lakers.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) July 8, 2013
Anvil. Dropped.
The Knicks mortgaged their future on Anthony back in 2011, when they shipped out a plethora of young prospects and draft picks to get him in New York. More than three years later, they’ll be faced with losing him for nothing.
Other things are obviously at play, like money. The Knicks can offer ‘Melo one year and $30-plus million more than any other team. If his plan is to wind up in Los Angeles, that means something.
Hollywood isn’t Houston, by which I mean ‘Melo won’t be taking less money and wind up making more, much like Dwight Howard did by joining the Rockets. If he signs with the Lakers for less, he’ll actually be making less. A lot less. Thirty-plus million dollars less.
Once on the wrong side of 30, that’s something ‘Melo will have to think about. Does he forego that extra year’s worth of job security to chase a championship? Perhaps. But remember, this is the same ‘Melo that didn’t want to sign with the Knicks in free agency more than two years ago. He wanted to be signed-and-traded by the Denver Nuggets so that he could maximize his earning potential.
Money means something to him. It means something to all players. No matter where the Knicks are at next summer, he’s going to have a difficult time walking away from that much cash.
The possibility that he leaves, however, is still there. New York can’t treat this lightly. The Knicks need to ensure that they have a team that’s actually built to contend next summer. And that starts with cleaning house leading into free agency.
Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler and Andrea Bargnani will all be on expiring deals. If you’re the Knicks—and you haven’t pulled off a miracle by next June—you do whatever you have to in order to move each and every one of them without taking anything back in return.
Dealing away Chandler and Bargers should be easy enough. It’s Amar’e who will prove difficult. Still, he’ll be on an expiring contract, so anything goes.
Next, you have to get rid of Raymond Felton and the roughly $9 million he’ll be owed over the next two years. You may even have to trade J.R. Smith, who will have three years remaining on his deal. You have to do whatever it takes to become a player in that free-agent market.
Even if the Knicks fail miserably this season, they can still appeal to ‘Melo by giving themselves the ability to bring in another star next summer. That’s the key. If they can do that, or pull of something incredible now, their chances of keeping him sky rocket. If they don’t, well, the Lakers and a slew of other teams will be waiting.
They say fear is the greatest motivator, so we’ll see how New York responds to the situation it is in over the next 11 months or so.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
