New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony is willing to waive the no-trade clause in his contract if he will be shipped to the Houston Rockets or the Cleveland Cavaliers. If he is traded to either the Rockets or the Cavaliers, Anthony will play alongside one of his closest friends – Chris Paul of the Rockets or LeBron James of the Cavaliers. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Anthony is open to waiving his no-trade clause if the Knicks will reach a deal with either the Rockets or the Cavaliers.
At first, Anthony was open to being traded only to the Cavaliers, due to the presence of James.
But he added the Rockets to his preferred destinations when the Los Angeles Clippers traded Paul to Houston. Earlier, the Knicks, with then president Phil Jackson at the helm, looked like ready to buy out the remaining $52 million in Anthony’s contract. However, the Knicks returned to their original plan of trading Anthony when Jackson was fired last week, according to Wojnarowski.
Before he was fired, Jackson also encouraged Anthony to waive his no-trade clause if he is traded to a playoff contender. If paired with efficient passers like James and Paul, the 33-year-old Anthony can provide offensive firepower for the Rockets or Cavaliers. He averaged 22.4 points last season for the Knicks, who missed the playoffs with a 31-51 record.
Knicks turned down Rockets’ Ryan Anderson-Anthony trade
In an effort to acquire Anthony, the Rockets offered forward Ryan Anderson to the Knicks for the 10-time All-Star. However, the Knicks turned down the offer as Anderson has $61 million and three years remaining on his contract. Also, the Knicks already have Kristaps Porzingis as a big man with shooting touch from the outside.
New York interested in point guard Shelvin Mack
The Knicks are interested in free-agent point guard Shelvin Mack, who saw action for the Utah Jazz for 1 ½ years. Last season, Mack averaged 7.8 points and 2.8 assists per game. The Jazz recently acquired Ricky Rubio via trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, forcing George Hill to enter free agency.
Mack’s role as a backup will now be given to young playmaker Dante Exum.
Currently, the Knicks don’t have a starting guard with the departure of last year’s starter Derrick Rose to free agency. They drafted young playmaker Frank Ntilikina as the No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, but he needs to learn from a veteran playmaker before he eventually gets the reins of the Knicks.
