Knicks Reportedly Had Interest In Signing Carmelo Anthony, But Plans Changed After Striking Out In Free Agency

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Carmelo Anthony’s name has been tossed around a bunch of times in the past few months, with people wanting to see the former All-Star get a farewell tour. Similar to what his good buddy, Dwyane Wade, recently had last season, many are calling for some team to sign Melo, with players like Damian Lillard helping lead the charge for Anthony to get on a team sometime this offseason. Here’s what the Blazers’ sharpshooter tweeted the other day to show support for the idea.

Sure, there are reasons why some teams might be scared off to give Melo a look, but, hopefully, the time away from the league has humbled him a little bit.

Nobody knows for sure if the pleas from players like Damian Lillard will work or not, but the fact of the matter is that Carmelo Anthony is probably still serviceable enough to provide something to an NBA team — even if he hasn’t played since last November. And while the 10-time All-Star once had better odds of playing overseas than in the Association, there was at least some chatter this offseason about the New York Knicks bringing Melo back; but it had to be under the right circumstances.

According to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, the Knicks has reportedly discussed adding Carmelo to their squad this summer had they signed a big-time free agent or two, most notably Kevin Durant and/or Kyrie Irving, who had both been rumored to be interested in the Knicks before teaming up on the Nets. Here’s what Charania had to say about the situation.

Meanwhile, if the Knicks had acquired two major free agents, such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, this summer, the franchise planned to consider bringing back Anthony on a contract, league sources said. At that juncture, the Knicks would have been at a contending stage with a team built around veterans. Now, New York is rebuilding around a blend of young talent and accomplished players and has a full roster.

Unfortunately, for Carmelo Anthony, the plan with the Knicks dissolved because there wasn’t a superstar who chose to sign with them, leaving the team in rebuilding mode instead of competing for championships. Melo might want to play in the NBA again, but, at this stage of his career, he’s best suited for a team with title aspirations full of veteran players, not a young team looking for a mentor.

It would’ve been cool to see Anthony get another shot with the Knicks after his career spiraled downward in a hurry since he was traded from New York in 2017. With that possibility buried, here’s to hoping another team decides to take a flier on Carmelo, because it’d be sad to see his hoops career end with him just evaporating into thin air as it has over the past year.

(H/T UPROXX)