NBA Trade Rumors: Carmelo Anthony Refuses To Waive No-Trade Clause
NBA trade rumors have Carmelo Anthony rejecting the thought of waiving his no-trade clause this season. New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson has been looking into trading the All-Star forward, which has included making overtures to the Cleveland Cavaliers about Kevin Love. None of it matters much if Anthony won’t accept a deal and prefers to remain with the Knicks. It is a component of his contract that the team gave him to convince Anthony to sign a long-term extension.
A report by basketball analyst Steve Kyler includes some interesting details about the Anthony-Jackson situation. Kyler first stated that Anthony “does not care” what Jackson wants and that he isn’t going to waive his no-trade clause simply because the team president wants him to do it. He later stated that Anthony wants to be with the Knicks, which was proven when he signed a contract extension and agreed to be part of the rebuilding effort.
This piece of news came out before the New York Knicks lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night (Feb. 4), though, so it’s possible that he may have changed his mind since then. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the fans at Madison Square Garden were booing Carmelo Anthony during the first half. It led to the commentators, analysts, and halftime hosts (including Magic Johnson) all commenting on the deteriorating situation within the franchise.
It has long been mentioned in these NBA trade rumors that Carmelo Anthony is very worried about uprooting his family and moving to a new city. Doing it mid-season would be an even tougher endeavor, as Anthony wouldn’t be able to assist his family in a move. This makes an offseason deal more likely, giving Anthony time to talk things over with his family and move to a new location at his own pace. He would still retain all the leverage, but there might be more teams capable of taking on his large salary.
Anthony will earn about $26.3 million for the 2017-18 season and has another year on his deal worth about $28 million for the following season. He has an early termination clause in the contract, though, so he would only have to play out the next year before entering free agency again. Anthony doesn’t have to make that decision yet, so he isn’t rushing to commit to any deals. Either way, it would be expensive for another team to acquire Anthony in a trade, not just because of the salary he will get paid, but because of the level of assets that Phil Jackson would want in return.
There are other NBA rumors that affect this situation as well. A report by Eric Pincus discusses the NBA salary cap and how the latest estimates will affect the league. The cap projections for the next two NBA seasons have been lowered, with the expected numbers set to be $102 million next year and $103 million for the following year. The luxury tax thresholds were also projected to be lowered, with the numbers set at $122 million next season and $125 million the following year. This will give many teams less room to work with and potentially block key acquisitions.
There are going to be a lot of teams interested in acquiring Carmelo Anthony in the offseason if the New York Knicks don’t deal him before the February 23 NBA trade deadline. Phil Jackson may be able to get better assets at that point, but he will also need to sit down with Anthony and convince him to waive that no-trade clause. This doesn’t discount the possibility of the Knicks making other moves before the deadline, as several NBA trade rumors indicate that point guards Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings could also be on the move.
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