It is almost assured that Carmelo Anthony will leave the New York Knicks this offseason in a trade with the Houston Rockets. Carmelo has fought to stay in New York for the past year despite former Knicks president Phil Jackson doing everything in his power to push Anthony out of town. With Jackson gone, Carmelo looked to be finally getting comfortable in New York and then the team signed former shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. to return to the team and it looked like Anthony was on his way out again. However, there is one person who wants Melo back with the Knicks for the 2017-18 NBA season.
Hardaway on Carmelo
While most people thought that Tim Hardaway Jr. was coming to the New York Knicks to replace Carmelo Anthony, the point guard sees things differently. With the Knicks wanting to talk to Anthony about possibly reintegrating himself with the team and starting over fresh, Hardaway sees a way that can happen with both men in New York. Hardaway said that he wants Carmelo back with the Knicks.
Tim Hardaway Jr. said that the New York Knicks could use that veteran presence on the court this year. He said that the Knicks want Carmelo Anthony back for another year because he is someone who can get the team a needed basket at any given time in any game. However, Hardaway admits that Carmelo has to do what is best for him and his family and if that means leaving the New York organization, that is what will happen.
Carmelo trade opportunities
The New York Knicks gave Tim Hardaway Jr. a very large four-year, $71 million deal which seemed to ensure that Carmelo Anthony was leaving town. Anthony has a no-trade clause in his contract and he said he would only waive that clause if the trade was to either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Houston Rockets.
While the Knicks were talking to both teams, it looked like the Rockets was the clear-cut winner.
Carmelo Anthony started to have second thoughts about the Cleveland Cavaliers when rumors started to circulate that LeBron James would opt out of his contract next season if the team did not build pieces for a championship run and Anthony didn’t want to get stuck on a team that LeBron left.
On the other hand, the Houston Rockets brought in Chris Paul and signed James Harden to a max deal. Anthony is friends with Paul and that is likely to be where this trade ends up going.
Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks will meet up this next week to determine his fate. While Tim Hardaway Jr. wants him to stay, it looks like Carmelo will be leaving New York very soon.
