Carmelo Anthony has spent most of the offseason combating reports that he is unhappy with the New York Knicks. Rumors surfaced that he was upset the Knicks drafted Kristaps Porzingis. Then rumors surfaced he felt betrayed when New York traded Tim Hardaway Jr. Reports said he was not thrilled when the Knicks lost out on LaMarcus Aldridge. Anthony has denied all of it, but could a trade end up being in the franchise player's future?
According to Zach Lowe at Grantland, the Knicks are coming around to the idea of potentially trading Anthony. Lowe writes that the Knicks could be wise to take a look at trading for Markieff Morris despite their only tradeable asset being Anthony. Lowe says the Knicks are not at that point just yet, but getting closer to it. Outside of Jose Calderon, Anthony is the only other asset the Knicks have worth anything. He currently has four years and $101 million remaining on his contract. Would the Knicks really make the move?
Knicks are wise not to panic at this, but of course the idea cannot be ruled out. In order for Anthony to be traded he would have to waive the no-trade clause in his deal. Owner James Dolan would also have to agree to the idea and Anthony is the main trade Dolan has made in his tenure with the Knicks. While team president Phil Jackson might not put up a fight, Dolan easily could.
Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk.com reports that Anthony likely stays put this year, mainly for contract purposes. He will also see how new additions like Arron Afflalo and Robin Lopez pan out before he makes a jump. There is also the idea of Kevin Durant coming into play. According to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, Anthony is recruiting Durant to come to New York next season when he is a free agent. Durant reportedly would be interested in New York, but clearly this season will dictate just how strong that interest really is.
If the Knicks put together a winning season, the rumors around Anthony stop. Jackson said big names will flock to New York if the team starts to win and Anthony will test that theory once. However, if New York were to put up a season like their most recent, Anthony could easily eye bolting. The forward already said once that he knew the Chicago Bulls were the better team to sign with in order to win. If the Knicks are not winning, he could jump ship quickly.
