As Carmelo Anthony begins the new season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, we’re getting a better idea of why it wasn’t the Portland Trail Blazers instead.
In an appearance this week on “Bald Faced Truth,” Marc Stein of the New York Times, who recently had an in-depth chat with Anthony, said the star forward may have turned down a trade to Portland due to the distance.
“We had a fair bit of discussion about Portland,” Stein said, according to John Canzano of the Oregonian. “He did say that it meant a lot to him how badly those guys wanted him. I think it really was the distance. I don’t think it was about Portland, the place… I think it was about family… presumably his wife and son are going to stay in New York for the bulk of the year. He was in constant contact with [Damian] Lillard and [CJ] McCollum.”
The Blazers’ star backcourt did indeed go hard after Anthony, and some indications were that the 10-time All-Star would accept a trade to Portland as a backup option. But Oklahoma City is roughly 1,450 miles and one time zone away from New York, as opposed to about 2,900 miles and three time zones away for Portland. That plus the better chances for championship contention probably made the Thunder a bit more of an appealing destination for Me7o.
