When it comes to Oklahoma City Thunder star Carmelo Anthony, the veteran forward believes that the perception about him changed once he left behind the big city lifestyle he had with the New York Knicks.

According to a lengthy editorial piece published on Friday by Tim Keown of ESPN, Anthony opened up about his transition to OKC and how the deal went down between the Knicks and Thunder.

“He still seems a little stunned that he's here. A week before training camp started, he was hosting a group of NBA players for a week of workouts he calls ‘Black Ops' at his gym in Manhattan,” Keown said. “Anthony's relationship with the Knicks was frayed and nearly severed. The corrosive codependency had run its course; both sides needed out. Trade talks — he had lifted his full no-trade clause for Houston and Cleveland — were headed for some kind of resolution.”

Anthony said that Oklahoma City superstar point guard Russell Westbrook was one of the players who came to his gym right before training camp, but he admits the two did not talk about the Thunder.

“I just never thought OKC was a place that would make the move,” Anthony said.

However, once he got a call in late September just three days before the start of training camp, he was willing to add the Thunder to his list of desired trade destinations.

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“Listen, if OKC can pull the trigger, get the deal done,” Anthony said, with the trade between the Knicks and the Thunder being completed two days later.

At this point in his career, the 33-year-old forward wanted to embrace change and reinvent his role with Westbrook, star forward Paul George and the rest of his Thunder teammates.

“In New York, there was so much going on with the organization and the city,” Anthony said. “It was very tense up there, and you never really get a chance to have stability there. Here, man, I'm having fun with the game again. The joy of it — that's what guys know me as: laughing and smiling and enjoying the game. I think over the past couple of years I've lost that, and I think guys around the league have seen it.”

In 57 starts this season for OKC, the 10-time NBA All-Star is currently averaging 17.2 points per game on 41.3 percent shooting from the field, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in roughly 32.3 minutes of action per contest.