The Carmelo Anthony trade saga seems to have heated up in recent days. After ostensibly falling dormant for a month or so over the summer, reports have been circulating that activity between the New York Knicks and Anthony’s most aggressive suitor — the Houston Rockets — have given the All-Star forward cautious optimism that he could be on the move soon.
Now whether a deal happens or not is anyone’s guess at this point. But according to one ESPN reporter, an Anthony deal might be even closer than the dynamic scoring forward thinks.
Chris Haynes went onto The 6 on Thursday evening and dropped a tidbit of information regarding talks between the Knicks and Rockets.
Here's the video:
Chris Haynes – "I think there's a very good chance he (Carmelo Anthony) probably will be traded before (training) camp." pic.twitter.com/8xInXEjsE4
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) September 21, 2017
“I think there’s a very good chance he probably will be traded before camp because the Knicks want to avoid that mess,” Haynes told Jemele Hill and Michael Smith.
The mess that Haynes is referring to is Anthony facing New York’s famously aggressive media on Monday, which would happen during the team’s scheduled media day. Assuming the Knicks want to avoid that, Haynes is implying that an Anthony deal could happen as soon as this weekend.
Also, you may have caught Haynes saying “that’s not the type of player the Knicks want to acquire.” He’s talking about Ryan Anderson, the Rockets’ veteran big man who can fill it up from downtown. The downside is that he is 29 and has three more years on his contract, which would lead to him making about $60 million. Haynes mentions the Knicks would rather get younger, but as he concludes during this segment, “There’s really no takers out there for Houston to increase or put any more within that offer.”
While the Portland Trail Blazers may or may not disagree, it seems like New York is backed into a corner with only one way out: sending Carmelo Anthony to Houston.
