Phil Jackson continues to try to find a home for Carmelo Anthony.
Yahoo reported Thursday that in addition to the Cavaliers, the Knicks also reached out to the Clippers and Celtics to gauge their interest in Anthony.
Anthony said as of Wednesday that he had no contact with the Knicks front office in more than a week.
The trade deadline is Feb. 23, and Jackson, the team president, appears determined to try to move on from Anthony and build the Knicks around Kristaps Porzingis, the second-year pro.
Anthony has a no-trade clause in his contract. For the second time in a week he said he would have to "consider" waiving it if the Knicks front office wants "to go in a different direction."
Anthony, however, said he wouldn't talk to management about their plans.
"For what?" Anthony said Wednesday night after the loss in Dallas. "I don't think I have to initiate another conversation. If it's something they're looking at I'm pretty sure they would come to me and talk to me about it. But it's not something we're discussing at this point."
Anthony's contract also has a 15 percent trade kicker for roughly $9.9 million, split between this season and next. So it will be very difficult but not impossible to move Anthony, who makes $24.6 million this season.
It makes sense for the Knicks to contact the Cavaliers and Clippers. Anthony's closest friends are the Cavaliers' LeBron James and the Clippers' Chris Paul. Also, both teams might need additional scoring options if they're going to get past the Warriors and Spurs in the playoffs or Finals. A trade with the Clippers could include onetime Knick Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers, Doc Rivers' son. The Cavaliers reportedly had no interest in an Anthony-for-Kevin Love swap, but they could try other permutations or add a third team.
The Celtics could use more weapons and scoring to compete with the Cavaliers. They have young players and could put together a package of players and draft picks that could be appealing to the Knicks. The Celtics' package likely would feature Amir Johnson, Cody Zeller, and Jae Crowder or Marcus Smart. But it's unclear if playing in Boston would appeal to Anthony.
The biggest obstacle could be getting Anthony to waive the no-trade clause. Anthony also may not want to lose a power struggle with Jackson, but he could be wearing down.
Anthony met with Jackson and general manager Steve Mills last Tuesday and told them he wanted to remain with the Knicks.
This meeting was precipitated by Jackson's confidant Charley Rosen writing a blistering column that said "Anthony has outlived his usefulness in New York." Anthony believed that was Jackson's opinion.
A reporter asked Anthony Wednesday night if he felt the Knicks were "passive-aggressively" trying to force him out.
"I don't know," Anthony said. "I honestly don't know. That's something that's out of my control."
Anthony said he's focusing on what he can control: trying to help the Knicks win games as long as he's wearing their uniform.
He said he has conferred with his teammates individually and they've met as a group to discuss not letting talk about his future or any other outside noise seep into the Knicks locker room.
"We won't lose games because we're thinking about something that's happening off the court," Anthony said.
The Knicks' loss in Dallas Wednesday was the team's 14th in 18 games. Players are wondering if there will be any changes to the roster.
"You hear a lot of rumors so I guess we'll see," Brandon Jennings said.
The Knicks are a team that's out of sync and frustrated about Jeff Hornacek's ever-changing rotations. Their defense remains a big problem although their offense sputtered late in Dallas. This is why there could be changes beyond anything they potentially do with Anthony.
Derrick Rose attributes every loss to defense _ and did Wednesday. But he also said the Knicks are not playing together or for each other.
Rose went AWOL on a game day recently, flying home to Chicago for "a personal issue" without contacting anyone.
"It takes everybody being on the same page, everybody putting in the work and dedicating themselves to the team," Rose said.
He was asked if the Knicks were doing any of the things he mentioned.
"I mean, 14 of 18," Rose said. "The record speaks for itself."
