Carmelo Anthony's last few days as a player for the New York Knicks seem to be close at hand, as there are increasing rumors that the team is eager to trade him off to another following his poor performance during the season, coupled with off-court controversies.
Knicks President Phil Jackson himself indicated that he wanted Anthony, who has a five-year $124 million contract with the Knicks, out of the team, telling reporters he "would be better off somewhere else." He also said that the team is currently exploring trading options for the beleaguered player. He noted that Anthony told him that he likes being part of the Knicks. The Knicks president said that should the trade happen, he would want a "significant player" in exchange for the 10-time All-Star member.
In the same interview, he also said that Derick Rose, who will become a free agent, may sign on for the Knicks.
This is the fourth season wherein the New York Knicks missed the playoffs. They lost at least 50 games in the previous three seasons.
Anthony was one of the team's best scorers, with an average of 22.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, according to NESN. These figures are not really bad. However, the rumors of the trade-off seem to be largely because of Jackson's comments about Anthony. However, the Knicks president previously defended himself by saying that he was not criticizing the player and that he was just stating the truth that the team has not won any games yet with him in the lead.
ESPN reported that the player will be amenable to a trade if he was offered a good destination. New York Post, who interviewed Anthony, said that the player was "open" to a trade. He will need to waive the "no trade" clause in his contract in order for this deal to push through if ever this happens.
Should he choose to waive his "no trade" clause, the question is now on which team he will be traded to. So far, there is no word yet on the possible trade options for him.
