The Knicks have been trying to trade Carmelo Anthony for a full year, as Phil Jackson spent a ton of time and effort trying to antagonize Anthony into waiving his no-trade clause to no avail. With Jackson gone, Anthony trade talks have reportedly continued, but there was optimism that Anthony would be willing to accept a trade should they work a deal out with the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets, having signed Anthony’s good friend Chris Paul, make sense as an enticing option for Anthony from a comfort and competition standpoint. Last we heard, the two teams were discussing multiple options for a trade, including some deals with as many as four teams involved.
However, on Thursday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported that all discussions about an Anthony trade have been “paused,” including talks with Houston and Cleveland.
Story posting soon with @RamonaShelburne on ESPN: The Knicks have paused Carmelo Anthony trade talks with Houston and Cleveland.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 14, 2017
This comes on the heels of reports that the Knicks were deep in discussions to hire Kings assistant GM Scott Perry as their new GM, with the two sides just trying to work out compensation to go to Sacramento. It would make sense that talks would be put on hold until the new general manager is in place, because he will likely want to have a say in what assets come and go in a trade. However, this isn’t simply about the new GM wanting his say. According to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, the Knicks are going to try and talk to Anthony about him staying around.
The New York Knicks are pausing trade talks centered on Carmelo Anthony and want to pursue a conversation with the eight-team NBA All-Star about possibly reincorporating him into the organization, league sources told ESPN.
To think that after all that’s happened between the organization and Anthony they could try to keep him around during the rebuild seems impossible. That said, James Dolan’s unwillingness to buyout Anthony means at this point it looks like trade him or keep him. If the talks with other teams aren’t yielding the return the Knicks want for Anthony, then it isn’t out of the question that New York starts the season with Anthony still on the roster.
So, for now, Knicks and Rockets fans hoping for a quick resolution on an Anthony trade will need to continue waiting as the Knicks front office shuffles responsibilities around with the potential new hire as they try to figure out if keeping Anthony is the prudent move. How Perry wants to handle Anthony’s situation will be his first significant move as general manager, should they complete the hire, and what he does will be his first major test in a difficult situation. After everything that’s happened over the past year, keeping him would be an absolutely stunning choice.
