Carmelo Anthony is under contract with the Knicks for next season at over $23 million, but he has an early termination option in his deal that would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he so chooses.
That leaves the door open for plenty of speculation (and consternation) from local and national media alike, but for a variety of reasons, it’s extremely unlikely that Anthony would choose to leave New York -- either during this summer, or in the one that follows.
He’s been quoted as saying a lot of different things when asked about his upcoming decision, including that he’d like to experience free agency and that he’d be willing to recruit other stars to play alongside him with the Knicks.
Anthony’s most recent remarks, which came from an interview he did with TNT that aired on Thursday during a game between the Knicks and the Bulls, seemed to make it clear that he has no intention of ever playing anywhere else.
“They pulled all the strings to get me here, and I wanted to be here,” Anthony said. “I want to retire in New York. Let’s just be quite frank. I think a lot of people jumped the gun when I said I wanted to be a free agent. And yeah, I want people to come play in New York. I want them to want to play in New York. I want New York to be that place where guys want to come and play in New York.”
Go ahead and bookmark this page for easy reference the next time there’s even a whisper that Anthony might choose to leave the Knicks next summer in free agency.
[via Bleacher Report]
