According to James Herbert of CBS Sports, Amar’e Stoudemire is not very sure about his future in New York. The Knicks came into the season with playoff aspirations, but now they are 5-35 and going into rebuild mode. Stoudemire’s contract is almost up, but the Knicks could even buy out the rest of his contract giving him full power to decide where he would like to go next season. The only problem is Stoudemire is unsure about leaving New York, per Mark Woods of ESPN:
“It’s a very difficult situation at this point,” Stoudemire told reporters following practice at London’s Imperial College. “It’s a hard decision for me to make. My loyalty has always been with New York and the Knicks.
“So it will be tough right now to make a decision as far as going somewhere else at this point. It’s something I have to think about. I’m sure over time I’ll sit and think about the best scenario for myself.
“For now, I know I’ve been through injuries throughout my career. I have to make sure I’m able to be strong enough and prepared to play for a team contending for a championship. New York is trying to rebuild. Hopefully that will be sooner than later.”
Sure, Stoudemire will have a piece of him that wants to be in New York because they were the ones who took a chance and signed him to a huge contract in 2010, but the Knicks aren’t getting any closer to the finals any time soon. If word gets out that a playoff contending team wants the services of the 12-year big man, then he’s most likely going to want to get out of the Big Apple. For now, he needs to be concerned with trying to stay off of the injured list so that he can even be able to play for a contender if they come knocking on his door.
