NBA Trade Rumors: Insider Reveals New York Kicks Still Interested in Carmelo Anthony Return

Carmelo Anthony has an important decision to make this offseason. After a resurgent stint in Portland, ‘Melo must decide where his future lies. After disappointing stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets, Anthony’s stock in the NBA fell significantly.

Anthony is part of the legendary 2003 NBA Draft class. He went to the Denver Nuggets as the third overall draft pick. Of the legendary players from his draft class, Melo is the only one to not win an NBA Championship. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh all won NBA Championships during their career. Even NBA bust Darko Miličić, who was selected ahead of Anthony, won a chip with the Pistons.

After playing for the Nuggets, Carmelo went to the Knicks in 2011. During his six years with the franchise, Anthony never made a conference finals. His stint with the Knicks ended in failure. Since then, Anthony had poor stints with OKC and the Rockets where his reputation was damaged, partly due to his reluctance to accept a lesser role.

Carmelo Anthony to return to New York?

But then Anthony signed with the Portland Trail Blazers on a non-guaranteed contract. He started and played 58 games throughout the regular season for the Blazers, on 32 minutes a game- a stark contrast to his 2 starts in 10 games for the Rockets.

He averaged a solid 15 points per game throughout the regular season and helped the Blazers clinch the eighth seed in the Western Conference. In the Playoffs, the Blazers were defeated by eventual champions: Los Angeles Lakers.

His time with the Blazers was a huge boost to Melo’s value. The Blazers want him back, but only if he accepts his role-player status. But Anthony is now a sought after veteran free agent. Rumors emerged recently that the New York Knicks wanted to bring Anthony back along with Chris Paul. While Chris Paul is possibly unattainable, the Knicks still want Anthony.

Marc Berman of the New York Post said that insiders noted Anthony is still wanted by the Knicks’ front office. He wrote, “The Knicks still plan to pursue former star Carmelo Anthony, even if they can’t pull off a trade for his buddy, Chris Paul. The Post has reported Anthony would be eager to join the Knicks if they land Paul.”

It appears as though ‘Melo is eager to join the Knicks if they can get Chris Paul to team with him. With Paul garnering interest from the Lakers and other teams, this move is far from complete.