And… here we go again. It wasn’t too long ago Carmelo Anthony was spitting the same thing Chris Paul is apparently doing right now. Yahoo! Sports reports that Paul has informed the Hornets he will not sign a contract extension with them and that he wants to be traded to the New York Knicks. While the Hornets’ executives want to bring Paul in at the end of the lockout to hear that from his mouth, GM Dell Demps has been working under the assumption for a little while now that Paul was out.
The Knicks are about the last destination Demps and New Orleans would like to send Paul to. They have really nothing of value for New Orleans, and their offers would appear even worse next to the ones Boston can offer (Rajon Rondo), perhaps the Thunder (Russell Westbrook) if you want to believe rumors and forget they are trying to give him an extension as we speak, and especially the Clippers (Minnesota’s unprotected pick in next year’s draft and any number of young assets). But as we saw last year in the ‘Melo debacle, often in these situations, a player holds the power.
As of now (they could still get further under the cap) the Knicks could only offer a four-year, $56 million deal next summer. Paul could stand to make up to $74 million on the open market. Nevertheless, if CP3 really wants to be in New York, that gives the Knicks a great shot.
Is New York the best fit for him? Would this be a better trio than the one in Miami?
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