New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony possesses a no-trade clause in his contract and intends on remaining with his current team.
Despite friction with the front office, All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony unlikely to waive his no-trade clause this season.
The New York Knicks are once again at a crossroads, unsure of how to proceed with superstar forward Carmelo Anthony.
After making several moves with the intention of transforming the team into a contender in the Eastern Conference, the 23-34 Knicks are four games behind Detroit for the final playoff berth.
Along with the Pistons being ahead of them in the standings, the Knicks would also need to fend off Milwaukee, Miami and Charlotte just to snap a three-year playoff drought.
New York thought it was alleviating any concern about the playoffs by breaking up its roster in exchange for Anthony seven years ago.
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Now, the 32-year-old is being publicly bashed by Phil Jackson, the president of basketball operations.
Jackson appeared to be intent on ridding the Knicks roster of Anthony and the $54.1 million he is due over the next two years, if he exercises his player option for the 2018-19 campaign.
Except the team simply can't deal him away, as Anthony possesses a rarity in the NBA, a no-trade clause in his contract. Anthony has to give his approval to any trade and has revealed his desire to remain with the team this weekend.
Anthony has responded to the criticism from Jackson and constant speculation about his future by playing excellent basketball. Over the past 20 games, Anthony has poured in 25.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and converted 43.2 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
The 12-time All-Star, as he was named the injury replacement for Cleveland forward Kevin Love for the 2017 event, even solidified his place among the greatest to ever step onto the court this week.
Anthony has scored 23,805 points in his career, supplanting Charles Barkley for 25th most on the all-time scoring list with a long range shot during an upset victory over the Spurs.
With this basket, Carmelo Anthony passes Charles Barkley for 25th on the all-time scoring list. pic.twitter.com/KHEvQk7giE
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) February 12, 2017
The efforts from Anthony had little sway in the standings for the Knicks, as the team posted a record of 6-14 during the past 20 games.
The primary strength of Anthony, his ability to score off isolation plays, is being wasted with the Knicks.
Anthony ranks fourth in the league with an average of 5.2 points per game off isolation plays, but with the number of truly meaningful games remaining in the season for New York dwindling, the idea of a split between the team and player becomes more of a necessity.
At this point in his career, the only glaring omission from Anthony's resume is playoff success.
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The third overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft has only guided his team to a post season series win three times in 66 total appearances.
Since Anthony has never been an excellent defender, his time as the focal point of a franchise is all but over, he would be much better served as a complimentary piece for a team in championship contention.
The friction between Anthony and the front office, all stemming from the actions of Jackson, should simply come to an end prior to Thursday's trade deadline.
New York is in desperate need of young talent capable of cementing a place in the lineup for years to come, and dealing Anthony for a future draft selection, or selections is the correct decision, but one team owner James Dolan has continually rejected in favor of finding immediate fixes.
Anthony was inexplicably given the opportunity to control his destiny when he signed a five-year deal worth nearly $130 million and he has every intent on fulfilling his contract.
Even if it means a pair of miserable seasons upcoming in Madison Square Garden.
