The New York Knicks made a huge splash in free agency when they agreed to an offer sheet with Tim Hardaway Jr. worth $71 million over four years. It was a massive deal, one that Atlanta decided it will not match. This means that the Knicks can get back to focusing on what seems to be their top priority this offseason: trading Carmelo Anthony.
Now that word has come out that Anthony is willing to waive his no-trade clause if it means he’d be moved to Cleveland or Houston, it seems like we’re closer than ever to seeing something happen with Anthony. The Knicks apparently agree with this sentiment, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports the team signed Hardaway with the belief that he’d never share the floor with Anthony.
NYK still wants to deal Melo. They don't imagine a scenario where Hardaway Jr. is sharing the floor w/Melo to start the season, per @wojespn https://t.co/xczj27xMol
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 8, 2017
Of course, just because the Knicks struggle to imagine a scenario where Anthony is on the team in a few months doesn’t mean they’ll be able to find a suitor. If he doesn’t want to waive his no-trade clause for anyone other than Cleveland or Houston, but neither team has the pieces to acquire him and New York doesn’t want to buy him out, then Anthony will likely start the year as a Knick.
At the very least, it seems like the Knicks are working on a plan to ship Anthony out of town. Seeing as how the plan under the Phil Jackson regime was “Phil’s gonna try and trash talk him so much that he wants to leave,” this seems like a positive development.
