For much of the last few months, the biggest storyline around the New York Knicks has been the future of Carmelo Anthony with the franchise. It has remained a prominent topic around the team due to team president Phil Jackson repeatedly stating that Anthony would be best served to play elsewhere.
NBA Hall of Famer and former Knicks great Walt Frazier has now chimed in on the matter telling Al Iannazzone of News Day that he wants the 10-time All-Star to remain with the team.
“I would like to see Melo stay,” Frazier said Tuesday night after representing the Knicks on stage at the NBA Draft Lottery. “There’s a lot of negativity going on right now, so I don’t know.
“I don’t think he’s the problem. They have to improve defense, get some more talent and having Melo would be fine.”
Frazier may have a point with the Knicks' problems defensively, but the fact of the matter is that the team has struggled over the last several years with him as the face of the franchise. New York has missed the playoffs in each of the past four seasons while failing to crack 40 wins even once over that span.
Throughout this entire process, Anthony has taken the high road stating that he wants to stay with the team but has at least acknowledged that his tenure could be coming to an end in the near future.
He is set to enter the fourth year of his five-year, $124 million deal that will pay him $26 million next season and possesses a player option worth $27.9 million for the 2018-19 campaign. Anthony also has a no-trade clause that allows him to dictate where he could be traded.
Ultimately, this appears that it will all come to a head at some point during the offseason.
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