Carmelo Anthony has officially had enough of the New York Knicks.
With trade talks grinding to a halt following the arrival of new general manager Scott Perry, the Knicks, it seems, had hoped to possibly convince Anthony he belongs in New York, at least until the start of next season. But he isn’t having it.
Speaking on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Adrian Wojnarowski reported the All-Star forward has made it clear he’s done with the Madison Square Garden theatrics (via SLAM’s Ryne Nelson):
“Carmelo Anthony has made it clear to [the Knicks]: I want to go to Houston, I am not interested in talking to you about being reincorporated back into this New York roster.
“Houston is now prepared for the fact that these negotiations with the Knicks could run through August, September, into possibly the start of training camp as New York tries to rebuild Melo’s value.”
No surprises here.
Led predominantly by the departed Phil Jackson, the Knicks have spent the last year-plus trashing Melo’s trade value. Why on earth would he want to stay with them? Especially when they’ve made it clear he isn’t a part of their future? And especially when they’re not ready to compete for anything special, even in the wide-open Eastern Conference?
To all these points, the Knicks don’t seem truly interested in keeping Anthony. This is probably just a way of delaying the process in hopes his trade value rebounds a little bit. And that’s assuming it can. He is 32, not a consistent presence on the defensive end and owed $54.1 million over the next two years.
If the Knicks are merely banking on Anthony to expand his no-trade clause to include teams other than the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers, they shouldn’t hold their breath. Given Anthony’s open interest in playing with Chris Paul in Houston, New York would be lucky at this point if he accepts a trade to Cleveland, let alone anywhere other than that.
