Carmelo Anthony and his representatives were in contact with the New York Knicks this past summer about rejoining the franchise on a minimum contract. Anthony's camp attempted to convince the Knicks that signing him would improve their chances of signing superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, according to Frank Isola of The Athletic.
Durant and Irving, of course, signed with the Brooklyn Nets instead of the Knicks. Anthony signed with the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 19:
According to a person close to Anthony, his representatives were in contact with Knicks management about Anthony rejoining the organization as a free agent on a minimum contract. Anthony’s camp was trying to convince the Knicks that signing Anthony would help the club’s pursuit of Irving and Durant, who became free agents on June 30.
The Knicks were intrigued about the possibility of signing Anthony, who throughout his years in New York maintained a good relationship with Garden chairman James Dolan. However, the Knicks said they would only be interested in signing Anthony once Irving and Durant made commitments to the club. That never happened, of course, as both All-Stars elected to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. The Knicks then rushed to sign several free-agent power forwards — Marcus Morris, Julius Randle, Bobby Portis — but not Anthony.
“He wanted to stay in New York,” said a person close to Anthony. “That’s what he was hoping for, but it didn’t work out.”
After missing out on Durant and Irving in free agency, the Knicks used their cap space on Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Marcus Morris, Wayne Ellington, Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock. That’s a lot of power forwards on one team and guys who don’t really move the needle.
The Knicks continue to be a walking disaster under owner James Dolan.
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