It’s been said that tensions are mounting and either Phil Jackson or Carmelo Anthony will have to leave the New York Knicks. Well, it seems the Knicks president is trying to see to it that Anthony is the one to go.
Earlier this month Jackson and Anthony had a meeting after the Knicks star forward responded to a report written by one of Jackson’s former assistant coaches saying it was time for Anthony to be traded. During the meeting, Anthony reiterated his desire to stay and win with the Knicks but it appears Jackson only held the short (5-7 minute) meeting to appease Anthony’s public request.
Now a week later and it’s being reported that Jackson contacted three different teams trying to gauge their interest in the All-Star. The first team is the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James recently went on an expletive-filled tirade about the Cavs needing a “playmaker” as their losses began to mount. With James and Anthony being very close friends, it seemed to make sense, but the Cavaliers rejected the Knicks reported offer of Carmelo Anthony for Kevin Love.
“We got 14 guys in here,” LeBron James said after the Cavs’ 116-112 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings. “We need to be ready every night, who we got in here. We got to play. We can’t play fantasy basketball. We got who we got, and we got to go out and play.”
According to The Vertical sources, Jackson contacted the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers in addition to the Cavs, to assess their interest in a potential trade for Anthony.
Sources also said Jackson is determined to rid the roster of Anthony and his contract and start rebuilding around Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks new young star. Anthony makes $24.6 million this season and has $54 million remaining over the next two years of his contract. His deal includes a 15 percent trade kicker and a player option for the 2018-19 season.
The Clippers are a team that would reportedly interest Anthony. The Celtics have been performing well; they currently have a 27-18 record at the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference.
In response to the trade rumors and possibly waiving his no-trade clause, Anthony said:
“I mean, if they want to go in a different direction, that’s something that I have to consider. I would have to consider that. Like I said, all the talk that’s going on right now, that’s out of my control. Nobody called me. Nobody got in contact with any of my representation or anything like that, so it’s something that I don’t worry about. I’m not thinking about that right now.”
The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 23.
