Carmelo Anthony: I’d consider waiving no-trade clause if Knicks want to rebuild

Carmelo Anthony told Phil Jackson he wanted to remain with the Knicks.

Case closed?

Anthony holds a no-trade clause and, therefore, all the leverage. He has repeatedly publicly stated his desire to remain in New York, and this was just the latest example of that commitment.

But apparently he’s open to being dealt under the right circumstances.

Anthony, via Al Iannazzone of Newsday:

“I think it will be more on the front office,” Anthony told Newsday this week. “I have the power, but still I would talk to them. We would be in communication if they feel like they want to go in a different direction, they want to start rebuilding for the future. If they tell me they want to scrap this whole thing, yeah, I have to consider it.”

Anthony, 32, made it clear he isn’t thinking about going anywhere, nor does he allow himself at this point. He and his family love it in New York, and his son is in school here.

The Knicks’ fundamental issue: Anthony is 32, and Kristaps Porzingis is 21. Their timelines just offer little to no overlap. New York might be better off building around Porzingis.

But the Knicks have already given lucrative long-term contracts to 31-year-olds Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee. Noah’s deal – worth more than $72 million over four years – is particularly onerous. It would be difficult for New York to pivot into rebuilding – and that starts with Anthony.

He’d like be choosy about where he’d go in a trade, and contenders will be reluctant to part with significant pieces for an aging scorer with few complementary skills. And it’s hard to fit Anthony’s salary, either into cap space or through salary matching, without surrendering key players.

So, there are significant roadblocks to the Knicks ever actually trading Anthony. But that he acknowledges hypothetically accepting a deal means something.