Love has been mentioned for the past two seasons in trade rumors involving New York’s Carmelo Anthony. Griffin never wanted to trade Love for Anthony, and there has been no indication the Cavs are pursuing such a deal now.
More on Carmelo Anthony Trade?
Carlos Douglas Jr.: A confidant of Jimmy Butler says one available star player that JB wouldn't mind the #Bulls going after is #Knicks F Carmelo Anthony.
Cavaliers GM David Griffin refused to even think of parting with the younger Love for Anthony in the winter, but he might be gone soon as his contract is up and he’s reportedly getting interest from the Bucks. But another general manager would have a difficult time dealing for Anthony if Love is not part of the package. The over-the-cap Cavaliers don’t have even first-round picks to peddle and Anthony’s trade kicker balloons his pact to over $33 million. “I don’t see any trade of Melo to the Cavs that makes them better and that the Knicks would agree to,’’ one NBA GM said.
While Michele Roberts called for the NBA to discipline Phil Jackson for publicly requesting Carmelo Anthony allow the New York Knicks to trade him, Adam Silver had a differing opinion. The NBA routinely will fine players who publicly request a trade. "We did not consider disciplining Phil Jackson for those comments about potentially trading Carmelo," said Silver. "The view of the league is that it’s not reciprocal. Players can’t trade themselves. Teams can trade players. So there’s never been a history in this league of fining a team or disciplining a team executive for talking about trading a player. And that’s all I have to say on that."
Commissioner Adam Silver never considered punishing Phil Jackson for publicly placing Carmelo Anthony on the trading block, despite pleas from union boss Michele Roberts to exercise his disciplining powers on the Knicks president. Why? Jackson had every right to say Anthony was better off playing elsewhere.
"The thing with the league is it's not reciprocal. Players can't trade themselves and teams can trade players," Silver said Thursday in his annual pre-Finals press conference. "There's never been a history in this league of fining a team or disciplining a team executive for talking about trading a player. And that's all I can say."
Two of his friends and former teammates said Wednesday they believe Anthony wants to stick it out with the Knicks. "Sometimes you feel like it's just unfinished business, and I feel like that's what it is with Melo," said Cavs guard Iman Shumpert. "He don't want to leave on that note."
Echoing that sentiment, J.R. Smith brought up Anthony's power move to the Knicks over seven years ago, when he forced a trade from Denver to the world's biggest market. "He does want to stay in New York. He made the effort to get to New York," Smith said. "Granted, it hasn't gone as well as he hoped it would. But I'm sure that's where he wants to be."
Many around the Knicks organization believe that Carmelo Anthony has played his last game with the franchise, and Jackson has already let it be known that he believes Anthony would be better off elsewhere. With a dearth of small forward talent on the roster and concerns about scoring points without Anthony, it might make sense for the Knicks to look to replace Anthony with a younger wingman who could excel alongside Kristaps Porzingis.
Thomas, a Brooklyn native like Anthony, is perhaps biased, calling Anthony “one of my best friends.’’ Thomas is also one of the NBA’s hardest workers — the club’s most zealous defender — so his words have an impact. According to Thomas, Anthony was not the problem. “I love him here,’’ Thomas told The Post in his first comments to the media since his season-ending injury in Utah on March 22 after which he disappeared from the locker room. “I love him as a teammate, love him as a competitor, love him as a person. Everything else is out of my control, but his approach has always been great.
“Carmelo fights for his teammates,’’ Thomas said. “He loves to win. Every player in this league, when losing happens, frustration builds up and we’re in the biggest market in the world. Everything is under a magnifying glass here. But he has a passion for winning and bringing it under the biggest microscope. He’s embraced New York and has fought for the Knicks for so long. He’s done an amazing job remaining healthy and being a class act when things have been in an uproar for our team. I can only applaud his approach in everything he’s done — all of the white noise around him.
If Anthony is gone, according to a team source, management wants Thomas to step up as one of the locker-room leaders next season, especially because he’s a defensive specialist. While Anthony lost a step on defense this season, Thomas suggested no one player can be blamed for the club’s season-long defensive woes (ranking 25th in defensive efficiency).
Ian Begley: Walt Frazier says he doesn't want to see Carmelo Anthony leave the Knicks. He says Carmelo isn't the Knicks' problem. Defense is.
Some opposing executives scratch their heads at how Knicks president Phil Jackson appears to be handling Anthony’s situation. “Phil made a statement basically that Carmelo’s a losing type of player. Well, if he’s a loser for the Knicks, he’s going to be a winner someplace else? That obviously didn’t help,” one Eastern Conference executive said.
“Tremendously,” another exec said when asked how much Jackson may have damaged Anthony’s trade value. “He essentially said, ‘I want to dump this guy.’ ”
“Most owners would just roast you if you said something like that,” the Eastern exec said, theorizing the return for Anthony could be “a protected first-round pick. 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.”
New York Knicks president Phil Jackson remains hopeful that he will be able to find a trade partner for Carmelo Anthony this summer, but admitted Friday that there was still a chance that Anthony might remain a Knick going into next season.
"He has a no-trade contract," Jackson said, during a break in the action at the NBA Draft combine. "I think I expressed what I felt. I can't express it any better. I thought it was well-said, even though a lot of you didn't feel quite that way. But we'd like him to have success, the opportunity is narrowing. We'd just like him to have success somewhere. We're not going to be there. Hopefully we'll be maybe a playoff team next year. It would be tough to consider us a possible champion."
In light of recent news of marriage troubles between Anthony and his wife, Lala, Jackson wanted his team's star to know that the organization was thinking about him. "Some personal things that came out in the paper, [that news] is difficult," Jackson said. "I just want him to know we're supportive of him. It's a tough time."
Nick Friedell: Phil on Melo situation: "I think I expressed what I felt. I can't express it any better."
Does Kristaps Porzingis have a secret desire to be traded to the Clippers with his mentor Carmelo Anthony? In a suspiciously timed tweet — that was deleted seconds later — the words “LA Clippers’’ with three smiling emojis popped up on his official Twitter account. One source close to Porzingis said he doesn’t always personally post his own tweets. The source suggested it was possible the account was hacked.
Porzingis left for Latvia more than two weeks ago and has not spoken to Knicks brass, with sources saying he is dissatisfied with how the organization is run — with Jackson looking to ship Anthony. The Clippers’ scenario is intriguing because oft-injured Blake Griffin is a free agent, and there is a sentiment the Clippers could look into breaking up the team after two straight first-round KOs.
The common belief in Los Angeles is the Clippers intend to re-sign point guard Chris Paul and oft-injured Blake Griffin, but hold mixed views on retaining shooting guard J.J. Redick who will become a free agent. That will be the key to whether the Knicks and Clippers can make something happen in July — if Redick agrees to a sign-and-trade. According to some league executives, the only deal that makes sense for both sides is packaging Redick, combo guard Austin Rivers and adding wing man Wesley Johnson for financial purposes in exchange for Anthony and perhaps one of the Knicks’ two second-round picks in next month’s draft. At the trade deadline, the Clippers’ offer of Rivers and 37-year-old Jamal Crawford was turned down by the Knicks.
The statement, it turns out, only scratched the surface. When Michele Roberts complained in a mid-April release about Phil Jackson’s “inappropriate comments” on Carmelo Anthony, she had much more to say about the Knicks president’s use of his bully pulpit against the franchise’s veteran star. Much more to allege. “I think Phil was deliberately trying to shame ‘Melo out of the city,” she told The Vertical.
“Our players understand that they can privately complain about how a team is managed but they cannot do it publicly without being subject to sanction,” she said. “But it has to work both ways. If Phil tells ‘Melo in private that being in New York is not a good fit for him, that’s his right. But these comments were made in public, and it’s very disturbing because Phil gave him the no-trade clause and he has to respect it. He’s got to allow a player to make a decision for any reason – to win a ring, for money, home life, whatever.”
Anthony is a vice president on the players’ association executive committee, but Roberts said she had not spoken to him about Jackson’s remarks, or anything else. “I feel for ‘Melo, this is a tough time for him and I can only imagine how he’s feeling,” she said. “I know he has been talking to some other people so I’ll let him sort it all out.”
The Lakers legend famously butted heads with the Zen Master at times back when Jackson was his coach in Los Angeles, but they ultimately managed to resolve their differences. Bryant believes it’s now up to Anthony — long the subject of trade rumors — to decide whether he wants to make things work with Jackson in New York. “Phil’s always gonna speak his mind and speak his opinion,” Bryant told the Daily News during the Tribeca Film Festival. “It all depends on the athlete and what the athlete wants to do with it. If you want to shun it, or do you want to use it as fuel to be better?”
Charles Oakley says Carmelo Anthony needs to run like hell from the Knicks this off-season ... claiming he simply deserves better. Oakley was at the BTIG charity event in NYC on Tuesday when he told us straight up, "I think he just needs to get out of New York." Oak says he believes Melo still has a lot left in the tank -- but it'll go to waste unless he goes to a team, like OKC, Utah or the L.A. Clippers.
Bryant believes it’s now up to Anthony — long the subject of trade rumors — to decide whether he wants to make things work with Jackson in New York. “Phil’s always gonna speak his mind and speak his opinion,” Bryant told the Daily News during the Tribeca Film Festival. “It all depends on the athlete and what the athlete wants to do with it. If you want to shun it, or do you want to use it as fuel to be better?”
But Bryant says he and Jackson are very close now and credits his longtime coach for helping him see basketball at a higher level. “You can’t enjoy the springtime without having an awful winter,” Bryant said. “You’ve got to go through those things. It’s just a matter of do you want to stay together and work those things out, and be determined to build a championship team? Or do you want to go separate ways.”
Anthony, if he so wishes, could be at the heart of their makeover. According to sources, the Clippers were interested in obtaining Anthony before the Feb. 23 trade deadline, but the Knicks turned down all of their offers — none of it making sense for Jackson at the time. More options will spring open this summer, including Redick’s free agency. With the Knicks lacking 3-point prowess, Redick is a 3-point marksman who wasn’t made available in January and February.
With the Celtics fading in the first round, the chances of Carmelo Anthony wearing green are increasing. According to an NBA source, the Celtics coaching staff was in favor of trading for Anthony at the trade deadline, but general manager Danny Ainge had too many reservations. One of Ainge’s concerns, according to a source, was an Anthony trade would have given Boston no real cap space to work with for the 2017 free-agent class.
The Post has learned that in talks with the Celtics, their defensive small forward Jae Crowder would be a major player of interest for Knicks president Phil Jackson. In fact, Jackson lamented not trading for Crowder when he was on the table in the 2014 trade talks with the Mavericks for Tyson Chandler. Crowder is an active, gritty defender who can shoot from 3-point range.
Jackson trumpeted his desire to move Anthony last week — so heavily that he drew a rebuke from the players association, which reported him to the NBA commissioner’s office. A source specified the technical reason for Jackson’s desire to move Anthony, whose style is so rooted in isolation play. It damaged chemistry and prevented Jackson’s move-the-ball-to-the-open-man philosophy, the source said.
We're told the couple's had ups and downs in the past, but the current NBA season has been extremely stressful on the marriage for several months. Carmelo's been plagued by trade talks ... with the Knicks looking to move him to another team.
The Cavaliers? "Longshot," one exec said. Unless LeBron James pushes for such a move, Anthony landing in Cleveland is unlikely.
The size of his payout is imposing, but the contract is down to two years, and maybe less on the (very) slim chance that Anthony exercises his option next summer. "I like Carmelo, I think he takes a bad rap," an Eastern Conference executive said. "He doesn’t get in trouble, he has put up with a lot from that organization and I think a lot of guys would have lashed out by now. Give him credit for that. But anyone who brings him in has to ask, does he make your team better, looking at everything including his (salary) number? In most cases, that’s going to be no."
But one Western Conference executive said that the no-trade clause could, essentially, make it easier for the team acquiring Anthony. "Well, for one thing, if he waives the no-trade, you know he is going to be OK with coming (to his new team)," a Western conference executive said. "He is not going against his will. And look at it, everyone has the Knicks over a barrel. They’re just desperate to move the guy. You are not going to have to give up much of anything to get him, just make the salaries match."
Al Iannazzone: Phil said knicks want a "significant player" for Carmelo
Lenn Robbins: Phil Jackson on @New York Knicks Our starters never really had a consistency of play..injuries prevented chemistry..The buck stops here
Those with knowledge of the dynamic between Anthony and the Knicks believe that, while no final decision has been made, Anthony is leaning strongly toward waiving the no-trade clause at this point. Anthony said on Wednesday night that he'd "love" to be back, but wants assurances that the Knicks are committed to winning.
Barring something unforeseen -- such as a highly unlikely scenario in which Jackson and Anthony find common ground during their exit meeting on Thursday -- the Knicks remain committed to moving Anthony this offseason, according to league sources.
No matter what is said publicly, some in the organization believe the only thing that would keep Anthony on the Knicks in 2017-18 is if owner James Dolan fires team president Phil Jackson, which is now highly unlikely, since the Knicks and Jackson quietly picked up their option on the remaining two years of his contract this spring, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN.
There may have been speculation that the standoff between Jackson and Melo would end with Jackson walking away or the Knicks declining their option on his deal, but sources told ESPN the options were picked up "awhile ago." Knicks owner James Dolan publicly reinforced his commitment to Jackson in a February 10 radio interview on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York 98.7 FM when he said, " he planned to honor his five-year contract with Jackson "all the way to the end."
The back-and-forth between Anthony, Hornacek and Rambis in March was but one example of the instability that plagued the 2016-17 Knicks. It typified a divide caused by some players' lack of faith in the defensive game plan under associate head coach Rambis and Hornacek's use of the triangle offense, according to sources.
Carmelo Anthony knows there is a possibility the Knicks could again look to trade him this offseason. "They might," he said after the Knicks' season finale on Wednesday. "They might."
As the N.B.A.’s trade deadline approached in mid-February, Carmelo Anthony heard the same rumors that everyone else did. He knew he had been shopped around by the Knicks, and that after several months of a public dispute with Phil Jackson, the team president, his future with the organization was murky. Anthony, the Knicks’ star, began to ponder his next steps. “There was a point in time,” he said on Wednesday, “when I didn’t think I would be back here.”
“I would love to be back,” Anthony said. “But there’s some things I would love to see different. Kind of just the mentality, just a winning mentality and wanting to win and being committed to that.”
Anthony has a no-trade clause. But the Knicks and Anthony have been on the road to a divorce for the last couple of months. Team president Phil Jackson tried to move Anthony before the Feb. 23 trade deadline, and took shots at him in an interview with CBSSports.com and on Twitter. Anthony appears worn down by the losing and how Jackson has alienated him.
Anthony will have missed seven of the last 11 games with what the Knicks (30-51) called knee and back issues. He’s also granted fewer interviews with the media. Later this week, Anthony will have his exit meeting with Jackson, Hornacek and general manager Steve Mills. Anthony said “the chips will be on the table.”
“I’m sure a lot of things will be discussed,” Hornacek said. “That’s something I can’t predict what’s going to happen in that meeting, or what we talk about. Obviously we’ll talk about the season, going forward, what’s going to happen. It’ll be about that.”
Hornacek said it could work with Anthony returning if he acted more as a veteran leader and the younger players didn’t rely on him too much. But that might not be a role Anthony wants. “It could be beneficial,” Hornacek said. “If a veteran guy with young players, the leadership, the knowledge of the game, they’re going to help in that respect – it could be a positive. It’s a negative if your young guys rely on the veteran to do everything and they don’t move forward. That’s the bad part of it. However it shakes out, if Carmelo is back in that veteran leadership role he’s really got to take to it and help the young guys. We will have a lot of young guys who will be out there.”
When Hornacek was asked how Anthony did this year in that role, he said it was “good at times” and he “helped our young guys some.” Hornacek had some praise for Anthony and how he played, but it was hardly a ringing endorsement. “I think he played more games than I probably anticipated, knowing that he was getting older, with his knee,” he said. “He did a lot of good things. Obviously he can score the ball. He can put it in the hole. He’s a guy along with Derrick [Rose] that late games, veteran guys, that you can go to. They came through sometimes. I thought it’s kind of what we expected. Defensively, he was in the right spot a lot of times. As you get older - he’s got good reactions - but getting back out to somebody, I think our whole team struggled with that this year. We didn’t close out hard enough on a lot of guys. So it’s some things we need to improve on.”
Armed with a five-year, $124.9 million deal that includes a no-trade clause, Anthony has long maintained that he had no intention of leaving after pushing for a trade to come to New York. But sources on both sides have indicated they believe Anthony will be dealt this summer if Jackson can find a suitable trading partner. But the chaos caused by Jackson may have been where this season went wrong.
Carmelo Anthony has played mentor to a handful of marginal NBA players who might not be around next year - and he is almost certain not going to be back next year.
“It was roller coaster, everything he had to go through,’’ Jennings said. “It was unfair to wake up every day hearing he might be gone. That was one of the wildest things I’ve seen. Everyone was on their phones checking. It definitely took a toll on the team.”
Anthony, who turns 33 in May with two more years remaining on his contract - armed with a no-trade clause and a desire to play another six years in the NBA - was still characteristically vague while providing the strongest hints yet that he is ready to leave New York.
“I see the writing on the wall, the writing... yeah, I see it on the wall,” Anthony said. “You don't know what writing is on the wall, though, but I see what writing is on the wall.” Asked what the writing was, he smiled and said, “No, of course I’m not going to tell you that.”
Anthony has taken the high road throughout the season, but the exit interview likely will not be so polite. "Pretty sure the chips will be on the table,” Anthony said. “The chips will be on the table in that meeting. Honestly, I don't know what to expect but I got a good feeling. Yeah, the chips will be on the table.” Jackson, passing reporters in the hallway after this, declined requests for comment.
Indeed, the Knicks have a yen for the 6-foot-8 Kansas freshman, whom they have identified as a player with a triangle skill set because of that passing ability. Plus, the Knicks may have to fill a void if Carmelo Anthony is traded. Jackson, who averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and three assists per game, doesn’t have an elite jump shot, according to a college scout. He also is not considered a terrific shot-maker, but he does many other things well, including desperately needed on-ball defense.
“No, no, no. Don’t start,” Anthony said when asked if he was thinking about joining the Clippers. “I haven’t thought about it. There was an opportunity during the deadline. There was always talk the past couple of seasons with me somehow being connected, whether it was the Clippers or Lakers. I’ve somehow always been connected. At first it was the Lakers and now it’s the Clippers situation. So I try not to think about that, especially now when I’m still playing with the New York Knicks and got to go out there and prepare to play against these guys.”
Jovan Buha: Carmelo Anthony on if he's thought about playing in Los Angeles: "No, no. I haven't thought about it. I mean there was an opportunity during the deadline, and there was always talk over the past couple seasons with me somehow being connected to the Clippers or Lakers. At first it was the Lakers, and then now it's the Clippers situation. So I try not to think about that, especially now when I'm still playing with the New York Knicks. I've got to go out there and prepare to play against these guys and other teams."
The biggest issue surrounding the Knicks this summer and going forward is Carmelo Anthony's future with the club. The Knicks shopped Anthony in trade talks before the deadline and, barring an unforeseen change of course, remain committed to moving Anthony in the offseason, per sources.
Anthony, of course, has a no-trade clause, so he controls his future. The market for Anthony this summer is unclear at the moment, but before the deadline, some members of the Los Angeles Clippers organization expressed confidence that they could trade for Anthony over the summer, per sources.
Carmelo Anthony wants to sit down and chat with Knicks president Phil Jackson later rather than sooner. “I don’t think right now. Right now we’ve got to sit down and kind of finish these games and go back down to the drawing board after this season. But not right now,” Anthony said about hashing out all things Knicks with team brass. So after the season, “I’m pretty sure we’ll sit down and talk.”
When the trade deadline passed and Anthony changed neither uniform nor zip code, as he suspected all along, it seemed logical to assume the drama was done. “Nah, this is New York. There’s always drama,” Anthony said.
New York talked to at least three teams -- the Celtics, Clippers and Cavaliers -- about potential Anthony deals in the weeks leading up to the deadline. Anthony, of course, has a no-trade clause and had strongly suggested that he had no plans to waive it. So it wasn’t a huge surprise that Anthony remained a Knick after the deadline.
The Knicks had few discussions about Anthony recently and were limited by the teams they could speak to. They also admire Anthony’s willingness to be a Knick — which GM Steve Mills believes is a strong quality. Anthony’s situation also will likely be readdressed this summer, especially if the Knicks peter out.
Adrian Wojnarowski: I was told that the Knicks are still making some calls on the las 24 hours, trying to get some traction on possible deals for him. They don’t have anything now and Carmelo is still headstrong on not wanting to waive his non-trade clause and at least finishing out this season in New York.
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.
Neuro: @stevekylerNBA What's your feeling on the Melo to Celtics rumours? Steve Kyler: Celtics not interested and Melo not open to a trade #thesearenotthedroidsyouarelookingfor
“The Kings got exactly what they wanted,” one NBA talent evaluator said. “They got rid of DeMarcus Cousins.” So might this have any effect on Anthony and his situation? “Absolutely no effect. Zero,” that guy said. “The only thing is once a big domino falls, people get more aggressive and start to talk.”
“The biggest thing that will affect Carmelo is to waive his no-trade and give them the opportunity to talk to more than just the obvious teams — Celtics, Clippers and Cavs,” the talent evaluator said. “The Knicks would be better served to do this in the summer, when more teams are available, or on draft night when they steal a pick or so. For now, the Celtics don’t even make the list. They’re not going to give up a whole lot for Carmelo. What do the Cavs have to offer other than Love?”
Knicks general manager Steve Mills was in town for All-Star Weekend, and it doesn’t appear he’s here to finalize divorce proceedings with Carmelo Anthony. According to a source who has spoken to Knicks officials, the odds are heavily against the team dealing Anthony by Thursday’s deadline. Anything that’s been discussed probably has not been attractive enough, plus Anthony can block any deal that is not to Los Angeles, his preferred destination.
The Cavs are trying to use a trade exception that expires Monday and also continue to explore the very slight possibility of acquiring Carmelo Anthony by Thursday's deadline. The trade exception, left over from trading Anderson Varejao last season, is worth about $4.4 million.
Anthony holds a no-trade clause and it's unclear he would waive it (he has said he wants to stay in New York). Also, his salary is so high the Cavs would need to part with several roster players and likely find a third team. They have said privately they do not intend to trade the injured Kevin Love to the Knicks for Anthony.
But the Knicks -- and more to the point, team president Phil Jackson -- may be so desperate to move him by Thursday (as an aside, the Cavs and Knicks play each other that night in Cleveland), there is a feeling inside the league that they would way offers for lesser players from teams, including potentially the Cavs.
Adrian Wojnarowski: As of right now, Carmelo Anthony’s intentions, sources tell me, is to remain in New York. He hasn’t been brought any deal in recent days. Even here in the All-Star weekend, the Knicks have not brought anything to his group that would inspire him to really want to waive this no-trade clause.
Given that they’re sharing a locker room together, that could change this weekend. But when Anthony was asked if he would be reinvigorated by a change of scenery, he called it a “set-up question.” “It’s kind of hard at this point,” Anthony said. “I’ll have some time after the break to evaluate that.”
Asked how he would like to see his script play out the rest of the season, Anthony said: “It would be up in the air. Something I have a problem thinking about it. To say I don’t think about it, I’d be wrong, I’d be lying to you. I think about it. Think about it a lot. I think about what’s best for me, what’s best for the organization and what’s out there. I think about that stuff.’’
A trade to the Clippers could be what he’s hoping for, but when asked if he wants to suit up for the Knicks on Thursday in Cleveland, hours after the deadline, Anthony said: “I hope so. We’ll see what happens. I plan on being here.’’
“It’s a conversation that can’t happen with one but multiple conversations, and I was looking forward to getting away from the game and exhale a bit and evaluate my situation,’’ Anthony said. “Kind of get away from it.’’ “It was a downer,’’ Anthony added of getting the invite, having said Wednesday he would have declined the offer if not for CBA bylaws. “I had to cancel my trip, and there’s no refund. I can’t get my refund back.’’
