New York Knicks Rumors: Carmelo Anthony Furious With Pick Of Kristaps Porzingis, Could Lead To His Exit

The New York Knicks may have big ramifications with their top draft pick, with rumors that the selection of Kristaps Porzingis may lead to an early exit for Carmelo Anthony.

Reports indicate that Anthony is upset after teammate Tim Hardaway Jr. was traded on draft day, and with the team’s decision to draft the 19-year-old Porzingis, who is looked at as something of a project.

On Friday, ESPN‘s Stephen A. Smith said that sources close to Carmelo Anthony said he was “furious” with the pick.

“I [was] talking to my sources last night. All they said was, he’s furious, he’s livid. He feels completely hoodwinked and betrayed by Phil Jackson,” Smith said on SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio. “He feels like he was lied to, like he was sold a bill of goods. And he’s willing to concede that he wanted his money. But he didn’t know it was going to be like this. He didn’t know it was going to be this bad. And he can’t believe that his second season under the Phil Jackson regime, he has to look forward to it being worse than even last year was.”

Phil Jackson has defended the pick of the 7-foot-1 Latvian, saying that Knicks basketball adviser Clarence Gaines Jr. called this a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

But Jackson is also mindful of the rumors that Carmelo Anthony is upset and what it could mean for the New York Knicks. He also noted that he talked to Carmelo about the decision.

“And I let Melo know that as we made this choice. He actually sat in during KP’s workout for a few minutes…. We anticipate it’s going to be [a significant period of development] regardless of whether we have a 19-year-old KP or a 19-year-old whomever,” Jackson said. “They’re still young players.”

There is no idea yet whether the rumors mean that Carmelo Anthony could be leaving the New York Knicks. There have been reports in the past that Anthony could leave, and he reportedly came close to signing with the Chicago Bulls last offseason before coming back to the Knicks for more money.

But there is new life to the rumors that the New York Knicks could be losing Carmelo Anthony. Nick Sciria of Rant Sports pointed out that he may not want to go through the growing pains to learn Jackson’s triangle offense and could use this as an excuse to exit.

[Image via Getty Images/Elsa]