Carmelo Anthony won’t exercise the early termination option on his contract before Saturday’s deadline, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times. As Stein writes, that means Anthony is opting into the final year of his contract with the Thunder, which will put him in line for a salary of $27,928,140 in 2018/19.
Despite any lingering issues he has with the club over his role last season, Anthony wasn’t going to leave that much money on the table. Oklahoma City and Anthony can pursue a buyout, which would allow the veteran forward to try to find another team where he could get more playing time and touches. Anthony said after Oklahoma City was eliminated from the playoffs that would not accept a limited role again, Stein notes.
Anthony averaged 16.2 PPG and 1.3 APG in 32.1 MPG during the regular season, all career lows. His production dipped to 11.8 PPG and 0.3 APG in the Thunder’s six playoff games and he was often off the floor during crunch time.
The Thunder could, of course, try to trade him but moving Anthony’s salary would be nearly impossible.
Anthony’s decision to decline the ETO has major implications in regard to the team’s luxury-tax situation as it seeks to re-sign Paul George. The Thunder’s tax bill could approach $80MM if George were re-signed to a max contract with a first-year salary of $30.3MM, as Stein points out.
The Thunder general manager Sam Presti told the media after Thursday’s draft that the club has been talking with Anthony’s representatives.
Consider me shocked.
Whoa! Another year in paradise.
He’d be the biggest idiot ever if he turned that down….no one else is going to give him 27 mil.
-“Don’t worry Russ, I’ll still be here.”
-(sobbing)
I’m not mad at him because as others have mentioned, he wouldn’t get a 1 year deal like that on the open market. I am a bit disappointed tho because he absolutely put money over, perhaps, a better chance to win elsewhere. Now, in-order to go to a contender involves that team matching salary which might be a piece they would prefer to keep.
That being said, if LBJ comes back and they were willing to take smaller pieces that, in it’s aggregate, would be more useful than Melo alone the Cavs should be interested. IF…he’s willing to be the 6th man off the bench, especially to give LBJ some rest as a facilitator or sitting on the bench. I think on a real contender where he’s getting the ball he would be enthusiastic enough to put his hands up on defense, move his feet and at least challenge a few shots.
Clarkson + Tristan or Smith for Melo? Clarkson can play SG where I think he’s better suited. Tristan is still a high energy guy who can give you 10/10 and hustle play. He can also switch and guard smaller players where Adams can’t.
I’m not mad at him for opting in, but I’d be pissed at OKC for buying him out. He opted in, he should suck up playing a limited role. Unless he’s willing to give up a huge portion of that money, I wouldn’t want 20 million wrapped up in someone who isn’t even there anymore, so hold onto him.
Exactly. You can’t opt into a bench role and then complain about a bench role. He wants to have his cake and eat it too. Stupid.
You should be a GM. Simply genius.
I should be. If I could rid myself of a point guard that acts like a shooting guard, or a shooting guard that can’t remember how many time outs are left and isn’t earning his keep by hitting open 3’s or a undersized C, who while has a lot of heart, is massively overpaid and somewhat limited in offense and re-purpose their money for a 1 year hit and count on 15-20 points of offense from a guy who can create his own shot, then year. I SHOULD BE A GM.
Easy there…. just because you can throw trades out there that keep the salary level for both sides to an extent and provide ubiquitous cliche basketball scouting reports… yeah, no. You wouldn’t be a good GM.
I’m assuming this is sarcasm though.
Of course sarcasm is in play. My point was just to express that the Cavaliers are in a position to effectively, buy or re-purpose, bad debt. Since Melo has opt-in and it seems as if he looks to be reduced to a rotational role vs a starter, then maybe, faced with the reality that those dollars are committed, then maybe both OKC and Cleveland can come to an agreement where each side can match up and re-purpose dollars into usable pieces. Maybe OKC has need for a SG or more rebounding whereas the Cavs might value a guy who’s instant offense off the bench and need to void certain positional holds (Smith @ SG or Thompson at PF) for younger, better or cheaper alternatives (Hood/Nance). Maybe OKC wants offensive minded SG like Clarkson or more rebounding provided by a guy like Tristan.
If nothing else, Melo is an expiring.
If Lebron could just hang for one more year, things will clear up.
Maybe take his shot at football, like MJ did at baseball. If he’s any good at all, which is likely, he’s got a leg up vs MJ in that comparison!
I respect Colin Cowhered but he suggested the same idea (of LBJ sitting out this year) and it was a stupid suggestion. Just the narrative that he’s sitting out vs joining the Cavs because they might not be able to beat the GSW would be so incredibly negative to his profile. He would come off like a ring chasing assassin so worried about his record in the finals. A real competitor takes on the challenge.
IDK what Cowherd said, but I said football, not “sitting out”. GSW is irrelevant to the probable unprecedented 2-sport level of success that Lebron could achieve. At some point it would be too late, and now, when the CLE roster is jammed, is an optimal time.
Of course he put money over a ring. Why wouldn’t he? He can just go buy the exact ring that the NBA Champions get. It would have about as much meaning as joining a “super team” just to get a ring.
Carmelo has never been, and never will be a facilitator. He is the definition of an absolute ballstopper, and can’t be asked to do anything else.
Beyond that, his entire career has been shadowed by “oh but if he was motivated to play defense..”, and it has never happened. It’s unrealistic to think that he would start doing it now. He didn’t do it in Denver, he didn’t do it in New York, and he didn’t do it in OKC. He isn’t doing it anywhere.
Carmelo, need to understand that hes more of a roll player now, unless he changes his game. he always wants the ball to go through him, im a diehard Knicks fan and when he was with the knicks, he always wanted to bring the ball down, he will dribble, dribble, dribble and then wanna pass when theres like 4 seconds left and the other player would have to throw it up, if not he will dribble dribble down court and throw up a 3. cant play no defense, cant rebound and doesn’t pass. whatever team hes on, they will not win a championship, and in Oklahoma, its Westbrooks team, and if George is there ,hes #2 , but in Melos mind, he feels its his team. they should buy him out and i bet he will go wherever Bron goes or goes to houston, cause he wont win anywhere else. and i bet whatever team he goes to after a few games, hes going to try to be the man on that team. and Golden State will not even think about signing him, cause they know he will mess up there chemistry
pretty sure this comment above by “JR” is legit JR Smith hahaha… or maybe it’s just Bryan Coangelo’s wife again!
i wonder if the rockets already called okc again to do the Anderson for melo trade
ramdom question what can Melo bring to Houston, that they dont already have. If u had 1 pass to make for a 3, to win the game, u going to pass to melo or anderson?
They both shot relatively the same from 3pt land (38/36%) so if I had a choice I would go with a guy who’s not afraid of big moments. Melo.
Melo for Ibaka return
So are the Thunder going to have enough to sign PG still after this and the money owed to Westbrook?
$28,000,000for a Prima Donna who has never won anything but “ Top Team Whiner”
EXACTLY. The media and some non-intelligent “fans” keep pushing the BS that Anthony somehow is a great player. Never was, isn’t now and never will be. He’s a cancer where ever he has gone and yet the media proclaims how great he is.
Prima Donna is all he ever has been.
I’m a Knicks fan and that’s hugely inaccurate. He’s a great offensive player but he is flawed defensively. No one told NY to give him the contract that he did. It’s unfair to call him a clubhouse cancer because NONE of his teammates ever had anything bad to say about his personality. Don’t let that narrative permeate your feelings towards him. Dislike him because of his flaws on the court but the “cancer in the clubhouse” is widely disputed. If it weren’t for Phil Jackson he would’ve easily preferred to end his career in NYC.
Let’s hope this doesn’t turn into another Noah issue. That much money on the bench has to sting.
I really think Melo to the Cavs if LeBron stays could gain some momentum. Melo can shoot it and get his own. Something no other Cav besides LeBron can do.
Finally, something the Knicks did screwed somebody other than themselves. Thanks OKC for being even more daft than James Dolan.
Melo shouldn’t leave a cent on the table to help OKC, he got a contract that was offered to him by NYK & OKC wasn’t forced to take him, but now you pay him, buying him out or keep him on the bench, but OKC has no reason to complain, I know Melo gets a lot of stick, but he has also 25000+ points & he will be a HoF, so a bit of respect, he isn’t the player he use to be but ain’t getting younger neither. Also agree, why would he loose money for a ring, I wouldn’t. Chasing rings isn’t pretty. You win with your team or you don’t.
That’s fine and I agree he signed a contract. That’s his money. If he wants the money though he can’t sit there and say I’m not coming off the bench. You do what the team tells you to do. That’s why you’re getting paid. If you want the 28 mil then shut up and collect your check and do what’s best for the team
I think your spell check corrected HOG to HOF?
Melo is around #21 on the top scoring list ahead of a bunch of HOF primarily known for scoring. He is absolutely going into the hall and if he had 2 championships (which is a team accomplishment) then his whole career would be viewed differently.
Also has a national title which counts since it’s the basketball hall of fame not the nba
NBA hall of fame is the easiest hall of fame to get into. My grandma who flew jets is in it
Good Luck To OKC XD
Melo plusses: a) led Syracuse to their only title, also Jim Boeheim’s;
b) generally available for USA duty;
c) spoken of well by teammates.
Melo minus: a) has a problem with “snitches”. If he gets over that I’d be happy to see him on CLE after the buyout.