Carmelo Anthony considering waiving no-trade clause; agent denies story
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony would be open to waiving the no-trade clause in his contract and being traded if team president Phil Jackson can work a deal with a team Anthony wants to play for, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Anthony signed a five-year, $124 million contract in the offseason after being courted by several NBA teams.
According to the report, Anthony doesn’t want to be traded but is willing to consider his options.
Within hours of that report, Anthony's agent, Leon Rose, denied that Anthony wants to leave.
"Carmelo, as always, is committed to the Knicks. There have never been discussions about trades or wanting to leave New York. Any story, rumor, report to the contrary is utter nonsense," Rose said to the New York Daily News.
Starting Monday, free agents and draft picks that were signed during last offseason can be traded. According to the terms of his contract, Anthony would receive a payment of about $17.5 million if he is dealt by Monday.
New York has gotten off to a 4-20 start, the worst start in franchise history. The Knicks have lost 10 straight games, only two short of the team record.
Anthony said earlier this month that he is not going to panic because of the team’s slow start.
There have been rumors of discontent in the Knicks locker room, with reports saying that Anthony and guard Tim Hardaway argued during a loss to the Brooklyn Nets last week.
Anthony is currently day-to-day with a sore knee. He did not play in Wednesday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs and it is not known if he will play in Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics.
The seven-time All-Star is averaging 22.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 21 games this season.
- Scooby Axson
