Taking all the information at hand into account, it may very well be possible that Carmelo Anthony has played his last game as a New York Knick.
That’s something that most Knicks fans probably don’t want to hear right now, but without any solid indication otherwise, it is a realistic possibility.
Anthony is likely to miss the remaining two games of the season due to a shoulder injury. He has been laboring on the court — failing to reach 20 points in 3-of-4 games — and the Knicks have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, so why not give him some rest? That seems to be the philosophy behind head coach Mike Woodson’s decision. More from Ian Begley of ESPN New York:
“I would probably shut him down,” Woodson said. “He doesn’t need to play.”
He is officially listed as questionable for Tuesday night’s game against theBrooklyn Nets due to a right shoulder injury. Anthony missed the team’s shootaround, and the Knicks said he will undergo further evaluation.
“He was evaluated this morning by the doctors, and I’ll know more before the game,” Woodson said.
Woodson said the All-Star forward probably won’t play against the Nets, but Anthony will make the final decision. Woodson said he would advise Anthony to sit out the final two games. New York closes the season Wednesday at home against the Toronto Raptors.
Anthony can officially opt-out of the last year of his contract with the Knicks and test free agency on July 1st. From all accounts he plans to test the market. While a return to the Knicks is still a strong possibility, Anthony will soon find that he has plenty of suitors around the league.
According to Begley, the Knicks can sign him to a five-year contract worth $129,135,806. But if he signs with another team, the maximum he can get is $95,897,372 over four years.
There a couple of ways to look at this breakdown. The obvious narrative is that the Knicks can offer the most money, so Anthony will stay. Yes, they can, but you don’t think Anthony will be offered another contract when his next one expires, and he can simply recoup that money then? As ‘Melo ages, he will likely want to pick up another contract sooner rather than later, likely making a four-year contract with a fourth year opt-out a desirable option. Wouldn’t it be likely that a five-year deal with the Knicks would come with another opt-out before that final year, rendering it meaningless?
These are all questions Anthony and his team will have to answer before making a decision, along with the immediate and long-term future of the Knicks.
The Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers are expected to consider bringing in Anthony.
This isn’t to say that one option is better than another.
More so that he has options, and he’s going to look at all of them.
Onto more from around the NBA
The reason I think Melo has played his last game, is that PJax must have liked the way the Knicks were playing tonight, without Melo. Melo is set to get 22.5 Million next year, and 29 million in year 6, if he is offered a Max contract.
PJax would probably want to plan his new team around the younger players, and use his charm to attract free agents next summer.
Therefore PJax will ask Melo to accept a big discount. If he refuses, PJax will let him walk.
Nix would get a better draft pick that way.
correction: Its 29 million in year 5.