The New York Knicks have stopped negotiating a Carmelo Anthony trade with the Houston Rockets after talks stalled due to the salary cap complications involved in such a deal.
New York is now talking to Anthony about staying with the franchise, but want him add more teams to his trade wish list as they still prefer to trade him, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
The primary hope, according to the source, is Anthony decides to open up his wish list beyond the Rockets and Cavaliers, as he has a no-trade clause. The Celtics would’ve been in play, but they traded for Gordon Hayward.
If the Knicks can’t strike a deal to gain meaningful future assets or future cap space, the thought process of letting Anthony return is logical. He likely would opt out of his contract after next season and give them full salary-cap flexibility.
Anthony, Houston’s Chris Paul and LeBron James, who are close friends, all could become free agents in 2018 and decide to unite, as they have talked about before.
Anthony has a full no-trade clause, though he said he would waive it for either the Rockets or the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, neither team can offer a package New York would want.
Anthony averaged 22.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this past season.
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