Carmelo Anthony is waiting on LeBron James. The guard could go a number of directions in free agency and James could dictate that. Anthony has made the rounds to several teams during this free agency period while James' agent has talked to just a handful of teams. As the forward gets pressure from the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers to sign, could pressure now be coming from Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks?
It is certainly no secret that Anthony and James are good friends. The two have played together in the past on Team USA and could be seeking to do the same in the regular season. Originally, the Miami Heat were considered frontrunners to sign Anthony along with the Big Three. However, when the guard was making his team visits, the Heat were not on the list leading many to believe they were out of the running for a marquee teamup. Could the New York Knicks now be the team that lands the Anthony, James duo?
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Anthony has not signed to a team yet, still hoping he can unite with James somewhere. Berman believes that is it Anthony's "dream" to play with James in New York with the Knicks, not Miami. A "friend of Anthony" tells Berman that the guard is hoping team president Phil Jackson targets the forward over any other free agent. Can it be done?
James and Anthony playing in New York is an extreme long shot. First, the Knicks barely have the cap space to give Anthony the max contract he favors. If James is joining, both players must take pay cuts. A trade involving either Amar'e Stoudemire or Andrea Bargnani will have to be pulled off and a deal involving young talent like Iman Shumpert or Tim Hardaway Jr might also have to happen. The chances are slim to none, but then again so was the idea that everyone would be playing in South Beach next season as well.
Right now, Anthony appears to be headed to the Lakers, Bulls or Knicks while James will either sign with the Heat or make the unexpected jump back to Cleveland. The Cavaliers have dumped millions in a three-team trade for salary cap space. According to ESPN.com, they are also targeting two of James' favorite teammates, Mike Miller and Ray Allen, to win over the forward. Dan Gilbert is confident he can bring back to hometown hero.
As of now, it looks like the only chance basketball fans have of seeing James and Anthony wearing the same jersey is if both play for Team USA in Rio 2016. Until then, these rumors will remain just that.
