Welcome to "The Decision 2.0".
With multiple sources indicating that Carmelo Anthony is leaning towards testing the free agent market, there are several intriguing potential destinations where the seven-time NBA All-Star could land this offseason.
Chat Sports is here to help you get a hold on who's in and who's out in the 2014 Melo Sweepstakes.
5. Dallas Mavericks
Speaking with 105.3 The Fan, Mavs' future Hall-of-Famer Dirk Nowitzki made it clear that he would love to have Melo on his side in the Big D: "If Carmelo would really love to come here,” Dirk stated, via Mike Fisher of CBS Dallas Fort-Worth “we’d love to have him.”
The Dallas Mavericks can clear $31 million in salary cap space after July 1st, meaning that they definitely have a legitimate financial shot to land Anthony. Keep an eye on Dallas as a potential dark horse in these proceedings - especially if Dirk leads the charge in swaying Carmelo into considering the prospects of an all-world scoring pairing.
4. Miami Heat
Could it really happen?
Chris Bosh recently told the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson that "it's very, very unlikely" that Melo will land in South Beach. It would most likely require LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh to all opt out of their contracts - re-signing at significant discounts.
And then, Melo would have to be willing to take less money for the chance at turning the Big Three into the Insanely-Huge Four.
So, why so high on the list? Because with Pat Riley at the controls and the wealth of endorsement opportunities which all four players could extract from the signing, anything is truly possible.
3. Houston Rockets
The Rockets have been dubbed as early frontrunners to land Melo if he decides to leave the Big Apple, and Houston core of star players will be more than happy to turn that possibility into reality.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, "Houston has Dwight Howard and James Harden prepared to recruit Anthony as the third star in a championship chase."
The Rockets will have to dump the contracts of Omar Asik and Jeremy Lin in order to clear the space necessary to sign Melo to a max contract. However, if they can guarantee themselves that Houston is the place he truly wants to be, Rockets management will make those cuts in a heartbeat to create their own Big Three.
2. New York Knicks
Melo's heart is still in New York, according to both recent interviews and several sources close to the situation.
With new president of basketball operations Phil Jackson and new head coach Derek Fisher at the helm, the former cornerstones of the Los Angeles Lakers' 2000s dynasty can use their past successes as a great selling point to keep Melo in the Big Apple.
There's also the factor of leaving almost $30 million on the table if he decides to go elsewhere - a decision that almost anyone would have trouble making if placed in the same situation.
1. Chicago Bulls
Sources close to Yahoo! Sports indicated on Saturday that Carmelo Anthony may be waiting on either the Houston Rockets or Chicago Bulls to clear the cap space necessary to sign him.
Out of every free agent destination possible for Melo, Chicago has been near or at the top of Anthony's list ever since the potential of him opting out was brought to light.
The Bulls would have use their amnesty provision on Carlos Boozer, along with finding ways to clear Taj Gibson and one more player off the roster. However, with a potentially 100% Derrick Rose on the horizon, along with Joakim Noah running the post, adding a scorer like Anthony to the mix could be way too tantalizing for either Bulls management, or Melo himself, to pass up.
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