NBA Trade Rumors: New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony Staying Put At The Deadline
The Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes appear to be coming to an end. While at one point it looked like Melo would be traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers to join forces with LeBron James, it appears that Anthony will now be staying with his current team, the New York Knicks.
With that in mind, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the NBA trade rumors continued to run wild until the deadline passes.
According to CBS Sports, “It looks like one of the most prominent storylines of the Knicks’ season — whether or not they would trade Carmelo Anthony — is finally reaching a conclusion. According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Chris Mannix of The Vertical, the ship has sailed on any Carmelo trade talk, and the All-Star forward is expected to remain with the Knicks. Wojnarowski discusses Carmelo at the 6:17 mark of the clip below.”
The prospects of Boston & Chicago reengaging on a Jimmy Butler deal this week. Trade deadline preview w/ @WojVerticalNBA and @ChrisMannixYS. pic.twitter.com/SeEyG2Lj94
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) February 19, 2017
“The Knicks have not brought anything to his [Anthony’s] group that would inspire them to really want to waive this no-trade clause,” Wojnarowski said. “Most of the teams who had interest in him are looking in other directions right now and expect Melo to remain in New York, at least for the rest of this season.”
Given the fact that Anthony has a no-trade clause in place, this should not come as a huge surprise. However, this does not mean Anthony will be on New York for the rest of his career. After all, it appears that the Knicks want to start rebuilding the team around the talented Kristaps Porzingis.
Not only is Porzingis averaging 18.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and two blocks per game as a second-year NBAer, but he can also drain the long ball. He is shooting 38.4 percent from behind the arc this season, and he has made 93 threes in the process. Porzingis has the goods to become a star in this league, and he has already showed flashes of that in his young career so far. The real kicker? Porzingis stands at 7-foot-3.
Meanwhile, Anthony is putting up 23.4 points and 6.1 boards per contest. As a result, any team would be lucky to have him when it comes to the offensive side of the ball. After all, this is a man who has averaged 20-plus points per game in every season of his NBA career so far. With that said, Anthony isn’t known for his talents on the defensive side of the ball. While Melo still has plenty left in the tank, and he is still a lethal scorer, he no longer appears to be the future in New York.
As for New York, well, it is 23-34 on the season. Sure, the Knicks could still sneak into the NBA playoffs, but that remains to be seen, especially with the current makeup of the team. The Detroit Pistons, who are currently the No. 8 seed in the East, are 27-30. What does that mean? Well, it simply means the Knicks could still make the playoffs, and a winning streak after the All-Star break would certainly be a good start when it comes to making that feat come true.
Melo has been one of the biggest names on the trade market for quite some time now — well, at least this season, that is — but it appears he will be staying put for the foreseeable future. Then again, the NBA trade deadline tends to be one of the craziest trade deadlines in sports. Trades tend to go down left and right on deadline day, and plenty of them hold a lot of shock value. Translation: Anthony could still get traded this season, and the rumors likely won’t stop until the deadline passes, and he is still wearing a Knicks jersey.
Still, all signs are pointing to Carmelo Anthony remaining a Knick for the rest of the 2016-17 season.
[Featured Image by Elsa/Getty Images]
