Carmelo Anthony ultimately gets to decide whether or not the New York Knicks trade him before the Feb. 23 deadline, and one of the things that could persuade him to waive his no-trade clause is the allure of playing with one of his closest friends.
Reports have indicated that there are very few teams Anthony would accept a trade to, and two of them are the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers. Going to either of those teams would give Carmelo the opportunity to play with either LeBron James or Chris Paul, who are two of his closest friends. Is that something he has thought about?
“Those considerations and thoughts will always be,” he said. That’s something we all think about as athletes, try to play with one another,” Anthony told Michael Lee of The Vertical this week. “We talk about it from high school and college. These are conversations that we’ve had years before any of this ever came up.”
For what it’s worth, Anthony has repeatedly said that he would like to stay with the Knicks. He hinted in a previous interview that he may be inclined to not waive his no-trade clause because his family is so comfortable in New York. But if Phil Jackson does get his wish and convinces Carmelo to leave, the thought of playing with someone like CP3 would soften the blow.
While the Cavs have reportedly turned down potential Anthony trades already, some comments LeBron made last year about playing with his close friends are worth noting. If Anthony wants to win, Cleveland and L.A. are two good places to do it.
