Report: Carmelo Anthony may leave Knicks for Rockets or Bulls
Carmelo Anthony averaged a league-high 38.7 minutes per game in 2013-14 (Frank Franklin II/AP)
Carmelo Anthony is considering leaving the New York Knicks for either the Houston Rockets or the Chicago Bulls, reports Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
The seven-time All-Star, who averaged a league-high 38.7 minutes per game last season, is reportedly planning on opting out of the final year of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Anthony is currently looking to play for a championship contender. However, the Bulls and Nuggets would need to make several moves in order to sign him. Per Wojnarowski:
For Chicago to make its bid for Anthony, it will need to amnesty the contract of Carlos Boozer and unload forward Taj Gibson and at least one more player... Houston has Dwight Howard and James Harden prepared to recruit Anthony as the third star in a championship chase. The Rockets need to shed the contracts of Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin to clear most of the space to sign Anthony to a max contract. Because those players are moving into the expiring year of their contracts, they could potentially appeal to New York in sign-and-trade scenarios that would deliver Anthony his full max contract of four years, $90 million-plus.
Though team president Phil Jackson has stated his desire to keep Anthony on board, he realizes that the decision ultimately lies with the Knicks forward.
“I told him it might be a good idea to hang in here and see what it’s like for a year and go out the next year,” Jackson said. “But that’s his option, that’s what he’s earned, and that’s what’s part of his contractual agreement. He has the right to do that."
