Carmelo Anthony expects to be with Knicks after trade deadline
Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks reacts after a basket against the San Antonio Spurs late in the second half at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. Credit: Jim McIsaac
OKLAHOMA CITY — Carmelo Anthony doesn’t sound as if he plans to be in a different uniform after the trade deadline.
“I never thought I would be anywhere else,” Anthony said before the Knicks played the Thunder Wednesday night.
When he was told he left the door open by saying he would consider waiving his no-trade clause if management wanted to rebuild, Anthony said, “I didn’t give any indication of that.”
Yet Anthony left the door open again.
He could end all trade discussions by telling Knicks officials he won’t waive his no-trade clause. But Anthony said he hasn’t told them that. So he’s still leaving open the possibility of moving on if team president Phil Jackson and general manager Steve Mills finds a trade that’s appealing to them and Anthony.
“Like I told you all before, nothing came to me, nothing came to my table for me to look at,” Anthony said. “Until that time comes then they don’t need for me to even talk about the trade clause.”
At one point, Anthony said the media was “talking in circles.” He said he still wants to bring other All-Star caliber players to New York rather than go team up with them.
“Yeah, I would like that,” Anthony said. “I haven’t tried yet this year. So I don’t really know where we are with that. You’re throwing a lot at me right now.”
The NBA trade deadline is next Thursday, and Anthony has been linked to the Cavaliers, Clippers and Celtics. All three are looking for someone to bolster their chances for a long playoff run or a championship, and Anthony could be that player.
The Cavaliers could push harder for Anthony now that Kevin Love is out for six weeks after undergoing knee surgery
Anthony has close friends with the Clippers (Chris Paul) and Cavaliers (LeBron James), and Boston is close enough that he wouldn’t necessarily have to uproot his family.
A widely held belief is that Anthony would waive his no-trade clause for these landing spots, particularly Los Angeles. Anthony said there’s nothing to consider until management talks to him.
“I honestly think we’re talking in circles,” he said. “Until something is imminent or something is worth looking at there’s no need for me to talk about the trade clause.”
It’s difficult to move Anthony due to the no-trade clause and 15 percent trade kicker in his contract. It might take a third team to make a deal. But Anthony wouldn’t say he thinks the talks are done.
“You don’t know what can happen,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of things happen in this league over the years. I don’t know what’s going to happen or what can happen. Obviously we know what can happen over the next week or two. But I guess we’ll see when that time comes.”
Anthony has said his family would weigh in his decision if he’s presented with something. He doesn’t want to move his 9-year-old son, Kiyan, out of school. Anthony said if and when the time came to have that talk with his family he would, but he expects to take some time.
“We have conversations but that’s not a one-day, two-day conversation,” Anthony said. “That’s a conversation where you really have to put everything in perspective and look at from a big picture. You can’t have that conversation in one or two conversations because it goes deeper than that.”
Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek reiterated that he believes this will be the team he has after the deadline. He said he hasn’t spoken to Jackson or Mills recently about possible trades, but he also knows one can come together at any time.
“Until something happens, that’s the team you think you have and you go about your business that way,” Hornacek said. “That’s the way we’re approaching it.
“If they have some deals, I would expect maybe [management would talk to me], but I would think at this time prior to the trade deadline there’s probably a lot of talk amongst all the GMs. Every team is looking to improve their team. So if they have something that they want to do, I’m sure they’ll call and get our opinion.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
