Carmelo Anthony Says He’ll ‘Absolutely’ Be Playing For Knicks Next Season

USA Today

With the New York Knicks missing the NBA playoffs yet again this year, speculation has started to spread about Carmelo Anthony’s future with the storied franchise. Anthony signed a five-year deal with the Knicks two years ago after being courted by the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, and Chicago Bulls in free agency.

Although Anthony considered signing elsewhere, the superstar decided to bank on new team president Phil Jackson in New York. The gamble to return to the Knicks has yet to pay off with two disappointing seasons and no clear direction for the team.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of the franchise, Anthony has pledged not to waive his no-trade clause and will play for the Knicks next season, via ESPN’s Ian Begley:

Carmelo Anthony was asked by Yahoo! Finance if he’ll be playing in New York next season. “Oh yeah, you’ll see me (playing) for the Knicks, absolutely,” he said Wednesday at the TechCrunch Disrupt Summit. Anthony has a no-trade clause in his contract, which has three years remaining. He’d need to waive the no-trade clause in order to leave New York.

At this point, the Knicks will attempt to bolster the roster through free agency this summer while continuing to develop rising star Kristaps Porzingis. Anthony and Porzingis form a potent duo in New York, but few think believe it’ll be enough to intrigue free agents to consider the Knicks once free agency opens on July 1.

If the Knicks fail to make a splash in free agency and get off to a rough start to the 2016-17 NBA season, Anthony could demand a trade in the same manner he did while with the Denver Nuggets. At 32, Anthony isn’t getting any younger and may eventually come to the conclusion he simply can’t win in New York.