Carmelo Anthony is having fun right now on the low. He’s not as stressed as you think. He knows that his days with the Knicks are numbered. He’s said he’s done with them. He also knows that a few legitimate playoff contenders would like to have his services.
Of course, with the way things ended between Melo and Phil and the way the past two seasons have transpired, the Knicks aren’t going to make it easy for Melo to just jump ship. And opposing teams arent going to go out of their way to take his exorbitant salary off the Knicks hands.
He flirted with a cash-strapped Cleveland and his buddy LeBron, but the numbers and players didnt match up. It looked as if he was going to Houston to ball with his boy CP3 and league MVP candidate James Harden in head coach Mike DAntonis run and-gun system. That didnt work out either, but Melo has got to feel like a born-again free agent of sorts the way teams are trying to acquire him, no matter how tricky a process.
Now reports are flying around that CJ Mccollum and Damian Lillard are trying to get Melo to wave his ironclad no-trade clause and agree to a trade to the Trailblazers. Melo would return to the Western Conference, where he began his career with the Denver Nuggets, and form a Big Three with the two lethal guards.
Joe Freeman on Twitter
CJ McCollum on Carmelo Anthony’s reaction to his pitch for Blazers: “I think he’s interested.
As far as immediate contention for a title goes, Portland is a second-tier team in comparison to Cleveland and Houston. Certain Trailblazers have already taken to Twitter to show support for the potential move, and Mccollum thinks Melo’s presence would elevate the Trailblazers into a serious contender category.
CJ McCollum on Twitter
Facts https://t.co/AcWXaPwEPa
Problem with Portland is, this is probably Melo’s last shot to go somewhere and win it all. They are not at the top of his list for many reasons. Admitting that you can be the third-best team in the Western Conference doesn’t assure Melo anything but a playoff berth, and he’s had tons of those throughout his career, just not recently with the Knicks.
Either way, it’s an upgrade for a guy that was basically doomed in the middle of a miserable, contentious rebuild in New York. With his career entering the twilight, Melo — the only thing Knicks fans had to be proud about before Porzingis arrived — prefers to be playing meaningful playoff games that will build his legacy.
The Knicks know they have to get rid of him and get something in return before the season starts, or they will have a disgruntled superstar on their hands and more MSG drama – if that’s even possible at this point. Melos just sitting back chilling, sipping, probably drunk texting La La after every episode of Power and enjoying thoughts of a future playing with a few All-Stars and changing the narrative about his career.
