NBA Rumors: Did Carmelo Anthony Show He Is Done With New York Knicks?

NBA rumors about Carmelo Anthony and his future with the New York Knicks took another turn. There have been NBA rumors about Anthony and the Knicks for several years now, but what took place during an embarrassing loss to the Golden State Warriors certainly drew a lot of attention. Playing against the Warriors on Wednesday, March 16, the Knicks were run off the court. The 121-85 loss was just the latest meltdown in a series of bad games from the team.

Why was this particular loss noteworthy for the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony? During a late timeout in the game, while the team huddled to discuss a play with the coaches, Anthony was shown sitting alone at the end of the bench. A look of disgust was on Anthony’s face, leading to many new NBA rumors about him wanting out of New York. Has the time finally come where Anthony waives his no-trade clause and the Knicks deal him?

There are a lot of teams and NBA players who have left games against the Golden State Warriors very frustrated this season. It likely won’t be the last time that happens before the 2016 NBA Playoffs, either. Anthony had a decent game, scoring 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting to go with six rebounds and six assists in just about 30 minutes of action. As a team, though, the Knicks shot just 39.6 percent and got out-rebounded 63-42.

In the updated NBA standings, the New York Knicks are just 28-41 on the season. That’s the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference and seven games out of the eighth playoff spot. It is an improvement over how the team finished the 2014-15 NBA season, but it doesn’t have any fans confusing the Knicks with contenders. What it will go down as, is another wasted season for Carmelo Anthony.

Despite having his named mentioned in many NBA rumors, Anthony has repeatedly stated that he doesn’t want to get traded by the New York Knicks. He signed a contract extension, he asked for a no-trade clause, and he pledged support to team president Phil Jackson. This all happened in the past, though, and he may have already changed his mind about his experience with this franchise.

Now 31-years-old, Anthony is averaging 21.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game during the 2015-16 NBA season. He is playing fewer minutes at just 35.4 per game, but that could be due to a lot of fourth quarter rest when the Knicks are getting blown out. Anthony was an All-Star again this year, proving that he still has a lot of fans around the league. But, at what point do all the personal accolades come up short when compared to winning an NBA title?

The New York Knicks have no first-round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, meaning Phil Jackson will have to acquire more talent through free agency and trades. The team also has very few assets that would entice another team to trade with them, unless Carmelo Anthony or Kristaps Porzingis were put on the block. This puts the team in a position to either sign one or two of the big-name free agents in the NBA offseason or possibly struggle through another season in an improving Eastern Conference.

If it does turn out that Carmelo Anthony has had enough of the losing, it shouldn’t surprise any fans if he were to ask the New York Knicks to trade him. Anthony is running out of time to be an impact player for a championship contender, so the coming NBA offseason could hold a lot of importance for him. If the Knicks fail to sign any significant free agents, the team may have to trade Anthony simply to re-stock the asset pool. Prepare for a whole new round of NBA trade rumors about Anthony possibly joining LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers or Dwyane Wade with the Miami Heat.

[Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]