Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony has long been open about potentially returning to the New York Knicks sometime in the near future. Turns out, that exciting possibility could take place as early as next season if his fellow “Banana Boat Crew” mate Chris Paul also moves to the Madison Square Garden.
Per Marc Berman of The New York Post, Melo is reportedly on board if the Knicks can somehow find a way to acquire Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder via trade. It is worth noting that the ‘Bockers have a new president in Leon Rose, which just so happens to be Anthony and Paul's agent back when he called the shots for Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
The rapport is already established between Anthony and Rose, so communication won't be much of a hurdle for them this offseason. Plus, the new Knicks executive will look to shake things up in the mecca in his first year in charge.
While New York won't exactly get the Melo of old, the 10-time All-Star proved he can still ball with his impressive outing for the Blazers in the 2019-20 season. Anthony notched 15.4 points on 43.0 percent shooting from the field and 38.5 percent from downtown, along with 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 dimes in 58 games.
The now 36-year-old free agent expressed his desire to return to Portland next season to repay the franchise's trust in him when nobody gave him a chance. However, the Blazers only have one midlevel exception available in 2021, which roughly worth $10 million a season.
Carmelo Anthony will have to take a pay-cut if he wishes to stay in Portland, while other teams (like the Knicks) will likely offer him significantly more.
Chris Paul, on the other hand, also silenced critics with his spectacular play in the 2019-20 campaign. The Knicks actually have the cap space to absorb his mammoth contract.
New York, however, has always been linked with signing big-time names every summer, but they never really managed to land anyone significant over the last few years.
A Melo-CP3 tandem would certainly bring the Knicks back to relevance. But judging by their history of misfortunes, fans can't rejoice until both players actually sign the dotted line.
Follow Us
Subscribe