With all the salary cap space the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to have in 2014 after losing Dwight Howard to the Houston Rockets, there has been some speculation that they could make a run at a big name free agent like Carmelo Anthony. Anthony and Bryant have a close relationship, and there have been some rumblings that ‘Melo is not thrilled with the direction of the New York Knicks.
One of those rumblings came from Marc Berman of the NY Post, who claims Anthony was hoping the Knicks would try to trade for Rajon Rondo when it became clear the Boston Celtics were blowing up their roster. According to Berman, Carmelo feels Rondo would be the “perfect piece” in New York and would be extra motivated to get the best of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who are now with the Brooklyn Nets.
For now, it appears that Boston is planning to build around Rondo and new head coach Brad Stevens. By re-signing JR Smith, the Knicks may not have left themselves with enough money to pursue any significant outside free agents. New York did trade for Andrea Bargnani last month, but it doesn’t sound like that is a move Anthony believes will bring the team to the next level.
Simply put, it appears the Knicks have to build a championship contender right now to keep Anthony around after next season. That could mean bringing in Rondo or another impact player, or it could mean rolling the dice with what they currently have. Either way, don’t expect Anthony to feel any type of loyalty toward New York if the Knicks underachieve again next year.
But Kobe and Carmelo on the same team, with the way they both love launching up shots? I can’t see that happening.
H/T SB Nation
