It appeared to be exactly what the Knicks wanted when Phil Jackson was president: Carmelo Anthony waiving his no-trade clause, and even enthusiastic about being moved to the Houston Rockets. One glitch _ Jackson is no longer in charge, and now, with new leadership in place, the Knicks look to be putting a pause on trade talk, though, according to ESPN, Anthony is still optimistic that he'll have a new home come fall.
According to the report, which cited league sources, president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry are looking to meet with Anthony to discuss his future (or non-future) with the Knicks, with the dwindling possibility that he'll stay put to serve out the final two years of his contract, worth $54 million.
Anthony, who had been all but pushed out by Jackson before Jackson himself was fired, already had reached an agreement with the Knicks to be traded to the Rockets, according to ESPN, and fully expects to be in Houston in a few months.
The Knicks will have the opportunity to shed some light on Anthony's fate on Monday, when Mills, Perry and Jeff Hornacek meet with the media.
It seems only fitting that Anthony's turbulent, sometimes bizarre, season should be met with an equally turbulent offseason. Jackson and his associates repeatedly called out Anthony in public this year _ harping on his perceived 'me-first' attitude and implying that he was ill-suited to the triangle offense because he held on to the ball too long. Though he often attempted to stay above the fray, Anthony, 33, seemed frustrated with Knicks leadership, and engaged in sporadic social media posts that pointed at his dissatisfaction. In April, Jackson flat out said Anthony would be better-suited to another organization.
And that, finally, was enough for Anthony, who in the past had been reluctant to waive his no-trade clause; according to ESPN, he would be willing to go to Houston or Cleveland, but has recently heavily favored Houston.
Fast forward three months, and it appears that Jackson's comments have hurt Anthony's trade value, ESPN said. According to the report, one big reason Mills and Perry are putting a pause on talks is because they're not getting back what they hoped.
The 10-time All Star likely would find a welcome home alongside Chris Paul and James Harden _ and a probably crack at the playoffs _ but could just as easily be made to stick around for a Knicks rebuild if the price is wrong.
