Carmelo Anthony is a veteran in the league, a scoring machine/weapon, but has not been able to win a championship. The Oklahoma City Thunder had aspirations of a championship but fell short behind Anthony's play. He got traded by the New York Knicks to the Thunder, but still didn't win that title. Despite all that, Anthony has accepted terms to stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder and opt into the final year on his contract. Reports by ESPN and the New York Post were used for information in this article.

Giving it another shot

Melo chose to not go into free agency and instead is opting into the final year on his contract with OKC.

ESPN reports that he will make "$27.9 million in 2018-19 to complete the five-year, $120 million contract he signed with the New York Knicks in 2014."

Anthony had a less-than-stellar year being a member of the Thunder, with career low,s as he was thrust into a different role than he was used too. Last season, he averaged only 16.2 points on 40.4 percent shooting. Carmelo has to be thinking about his future and why would he not accept the money that the Thunder have put on the table for him?

Can Melo can bounce back next season and play much better for the Thunder? The big three of Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Paul George have not been able to mesh, as many critics and fans expected.

The veteran also did not perform well in the playoffs against the Utah Jazz, as he averaged only 11.8 points, according to The New York Post. Anthony had to take a much different role in Oklahoma, and he has not had the same aggressiveness or mentality that he had with the Knicks.

Anthony having some fun on social media

Many Thunder fans were not happy that the veteran chose to stay with the Thunder and pick up the money indebted to him.

The basketball veteran had some fun on Instagram and shot back at multiple critics and fans for not speaking well about his decision to re-sign with the team.

According to New York Post, despite Anthony re-signing with the team, "A chance exists that Oklahoma City will pursue a trade or attempt to work out a buyout with Anthony." The Thunder also will be spending a lot of money to keep this team together with George, Westbrook, and Anthony.

The New York Post writes that "The Thunder would have one of the highest payrolls in NBA history if they are successful in their attempt to re-sign Paul George to a max contract."

The next domino

The next domino to fall would be Paul George, who could choose to leave the team and go elsewhere or give it another go and stay with the Thunder for another season. Rumors have connected George to play for his hometown Los Angeles Lakers, as he has expressed praise to play for them in the past. According to ESPN, "George has until Friday to opt out of the $20.2 million he's owed in the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent."

Paul George could stick around and give the experiment another chance, as he can make more money staying with his current team.

The Thunder ended up getting bounced out of the first round of the playoffs by the Utah Jazz, led by rookie Donovan Mitchell. George, however, was a bright spot for the Thunder, as he had a career year shooting from the three-point line and playing terrific defense. The truth is that for all the hype surrounding the team with all the talent they had, the result was truly disappointing. If PG13 re-signs, it would give them another shot to make it work, as George was building chemistry playing alongside Russell Westbrook. The move to go to the Los Angeles Lakers could be inevitable though.
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