There are two unsurprising stories this NBA offseason that, despite it being quite clear the result of them both, must be reported nonetheless. The first is that LeBron James‘ decision regarding his future is going to change the course of whichever franchise he suits up for next season.
That hasn’t happened yet, though it’s almost certainly happening in the coming weeks. The other obvious decision lays with Carmelo Anthony, who could end his time in Oklahoma City and enter free agency this summer. It seems clear, however, that he would not do that.
Anthony had an early termination option, which means he has a deadline to end his deal with the Thunder early or enter its final year. And this may shock you, be he decided not to end a contract that will pay him nearly $28 million next season.
Oklahoma City’s Carmelo Anthony does not intend to opt out of his current contract before his Saturday ETO deadline, @NYTSports has learned. Full coverage here: https://t.co/MfJmRqL6Oj
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 22, 2018
Now that the inevitable has been reported, it’s unclear what the Thunder will do with Anthony. A buyout could come, costing the team a good amount of money to not have Anthony on the roster while he seeks employment elsewhere.
The other option — because imagining a team trading for Anthony seems impossible — is to endure the deal and whatever comes with it. The Thunder talked all season about how difficult it was to play with cohesion on a team with Russell Westbrook and newcomers Paul George and, yes, Anthony. If George were to stay in Oklahoma City, maybe a summer of work and a slightly retooled roster would lead to better results, both for the Thunder and Anthony personally.
What’s clear, however, is that the money’s good for Anthony and he’s willing to play for it in Oklahoma City if he starts and if they’ll let him.
