The trade rumors surrounding Carmelo Anthony have died down considerably over the past two weeks, and Anthony said at the All-Star Game that he expects to remain with the New York Knicks this season. After the season could be an entirely different discussion.
Even if Anthony remains in The Big Apple through Thursday’s trade deadline, Ian Begley of ESPN reports that the 32-year-old has not ruled out the possibility of waiving his no-trade clause to join the Los Angeles Clippers this summer.
If nothing happens by Thursday, that doesn’t necessarily mean the trade rumors surrounding Anthony will subside. If he doesn’t agree to be traded by Thursday, some in the Clippers organization believe Anthony will be willing to waive his no-trade clause and come to Los Angeles to join Chris Paul this summer, per league sources with knowledge of the situation.
Anthony and Paul are close friends, and the Clippers have always been one of a select few teams that reporters believe Carmelo would consider waiving his no-trade clause for. Perhaps Anthony would feel even more comfortable being moved during the summer, when he would have more time to settle into a new city and handle the family side of things.
Begley also noted that NBA executives were not ready to say trade talks involving Carmelo before the deadline are nonexistent, as the Clippers and Boston Celtics may still be contemplating making offers.
Whatever happens, it seems like there is a good chance one of Anthony or Knicks president Phil Jackson will no longer be with the team next season. Based on some of Jackson’s social media activity, it’s easy to conclude that the relationship between player and boss has deteriorated.
