The Carmelo Anthony trade saga took another turn recently as Yahoo! Sports is reporting that he’ll only sign an extension with the Knicks.
Several sources told Yahoo! Sports that Carmelo Anthony’s agent, Leon Rose, has recently begun informing teams that the All-Star forward is interested in signing a contract extension with only the New York Knicks. The stance has weakened the Denver Nuggets’ leverage in trying to deal Anthony, not only to other teams, but also the Knicks.
The sources said the Knicks don’t feel pressed to present a substantial trade offer to the Nuggets because they think they can also sign Anthony after the season if he opts out of his contract, as expected.
“If you’re New York, you just sit and wait until the offseason,” one general manager said. “That’s where it’s likely to go. Why give up assets to get him now when you can wait and get him next season?”
The unnamed GM asks an interesting question, but a lot can happen in a few months. If the Knicks elect to wait until the summer they run the risk of Carmelo changing his mind about where he’ll re-sign. Maybe he gets irked about the fact that the Knicks wouldn’t trade for him, forcing him to sign a deal for less money. Maybe he gets traded to the Mavericks as a rental and the team gels and makes a run to the Finals, forcing him to rethink his priorities. Who knows.
If the Knicks wait, they’ll also pass on having Carmelo for a possible playoff run this season, and they’ll be pushing off the inevitable chemistry development into next season.
Ideally, the Knicks would acquire Carmelo by the trade deadline for next to nothing, but signing him outright this summer would save the Knicks assets and money, since an extension would cost more than a new free agent contract. It’s just a risky proposition to wait, because the summer is a long way away.
