Carmelo Anthony won’t have the opportunity to hit the free agent market for another eight months, but if the last few weeks have been any indication, there will be rumors and speculation swirling around the Knicks star all season long. Last night, Anthony attempted to dispel the notion that he wants to leave New York, telling TNT that he’s hoping for a long-term stay with the Knicks.
“I want to retire in New York, I mean, let’s just be quite frank,” Anthony said, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “I think a lot of people jumped the gun when I said I wanted to be a free agent. And yeah, I want people to come play in New York. I want them to want to play in New York. I want New York to be that place where guys want to come play.”
Anthony’s comments echoed ones he made earlier in the week, when he responded to criticism from Charles Barkley by pointing out that he has a “big rolodex,” which he intends to use to recruit players to New York. As I outlined when I broke down Carmelo’s maximum contract scenarios for next summer, he can secure the most long-term guaranteed money by re-signing with the Knicks in free agency, so it’s no surprise that he’d choose that route over signing an extension, even if he doesn’t plan to go anywhere.
See ya in LA!!!