The Chicago Bulls might offer Carmelo Anthony the best opportunity to contend for an NBA championship. Having Anthony, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose in a starting lineup would be tough to beat. From the sound of it, the only chance the Bulls have of signing Anthony is if he buys into that theory. Why? They don’t have much money to offer.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Bulls spoke to Melo during their meeting with him on Tuesday about the possibility of a four-year deal worth roughly $16 million per season. The New York Knicks can offer Anthony roughly $130 million over five years while other teams can go to four years and $96 million. That means the Knicks can offer $26 million per season and other teams can offer $24 million.
In other words, Melo would likely need to play at a significantly discounted rate to sign with the Bulls. Unless he is in love with the team and the city, he probably won’t be willing to do that. There have also been rumors about a possible sign-and-trade involving Carlos Boozer that would allow Chicago to give Anthony more money, but Phil Jackson is reportedly opposed to the idea.
If the Houston Rockets trade Jeremy Lin, they can offer Anthony close to a max contract. Keep in mind that Carmelo is 30, so this will likely be his last big deal. Is he willing to take $8-$10 million less per season to play in Chicago? We highly doubt it.
