Carmelo Anthony not expected to opt-out of OKC
Despite an abysmal inaugural season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, after being traded by the New York Knicks last September, it appears that future Hall of Fame forward Carmelo Anthony will remain with the team for at least one more year.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the 34-year-old Anthony is not expected to opt out of his contract before the deadline at midnight Saturday. The trade may not be working out for either party, but Anthony’s decision is not unexpected, given the buckets left on the table.Â
Oklahoma City’s Carmelo Anthony does not intend to opt out of his current contract before his Saturday ETO deadline, @NYTSports has learned. Full coverage here: https://t.co/MfJmRqL6Oj
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 22, 2018
The 10-time All-Star is set to earn nearly $28 million next season in Oklahoma City. Anthony is coming off a 2017-18 campaign that saw him average just 16.2 points per game while shooting at a 40 percent mark from the field. It was the lowest scoring output of Anthony’s career.
While OKC would have likely preferred Anthony to opt out, the team is pretty much stuck with him. No other squad is going to take on that bloated contract. Meanwhile, a contract buyout seemingly makes little sense.
Anthony’s decision not to opt out could also have an impact on what teammate Paul George does in free agency next month. That’s certainly something to keep an eye on.
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