The more Phil Jackson talks, the less Carmelo Anthony is worth. Yet, for some reason, the New York Knicks president doesn’t seem to care.
Jackson has been around long enough to know that the worst way to increase the trade value of a player is to bash that player in public. But at this point, it’s probably too late for him to change his stance. According to several scouts and executives that spoke with Marc Berman of the New York Post, the damage is already done.
“Phil made a statement basically that Carmelo’s a losing type of player,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “Well, if he’s a loser for the Knicks, he’s going to be a winner someplace else? That obviously didn’t help.”
In recent weeks, Jackson has said he believes Anthony would be better off elsewhere, noting that the Knicks are “not going to be there” and that Carmelo deserves a shot to compete for a title. As one executive told Berman, Jackson has basically come out and said “I want to dump this guy.” Given the circumstances, why would any team offer a substantial return?
“Most owners would just roast you if you said something like that,” another exec said. “It sure sounds like the Knicks want to get rid of him so teams won’t give up any of their core to add him. That would be defeating the purpose.”
Anthony has a full no-trade clause, so Jackson seems to be trying to muscle the 33-year-old into accepting a trade. But in doing so, Jackson has come off as desperate to unload his best player. It doesn’t help that Anthony is owed $26 million next season and can opt into another $28 million for the 2018-2019 season.
There are reportedly a few teams that are interested in Anthony, but his contract is a major issue. Between the financial concerns and Jackson’s desperation, Carmelo’s trade value has all but evaporated.
