What does the market look like for Carmelo Anthony?

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Carmelo Anthony
Oct 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during a game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Things are ugly and they’re continuing to be ugly. First, it was “get rid of Carmelo” and then “get rid of Porzingis” and now Phil Jackson is gone. The discrepancy of where the Knicks should go in the future especially in regards to Carmelo Anthony had something to do with the discourse. With everything that occurred today, there’s a lot for Carmelo to consider. The firing of Phil Jackson may entice him to stay with New York. They’ve gotten rid of the blemish in the organization and it’s like a weight is lifted off of their shoulders. They can focus on the future instead of dealing with the hoop-lah surrounding Jackson and his differences with Melo and Kristaps.

But on the other hand, with one of Melo’s closest friends in Chris Paul getting traded to the Houston Rockets, one has to think that he’s eyeing the possibility of playing with Paul and James Harden. They already have a dynamic backcourt and with Carmelo in the mix, that forms a big three with a lot of scoring power, which you need in the Western Conference. But do the Rockets have an interest in Carmelo? Does any team have an interest in Carmelo?

Anthony is aging as he’s entering the 15th season of his career. He’s not as quick and explosive as he once was and his efficiency isn’t quite what it used to be. Combine that with the fact that his style of play is not necessarily favored in this day and age. He loves the mid-range isolation ball that you see a lot of teams getting away from. While I still believe he’s one of the best scorers we have in the game today, I’m not sure that his style of play garners a lot of attention from teams out there.

Would teams love a scorer like Melo? Absolutely, but there are some stipulations that must be in play before a deal would be done. First, I don’t see a lot of teams willing to give up a lot or pay a lot of money for an aging Carmelo Anthony. Teams like the Houston Rockets or the Cleveland Cavaliers would possibly take that chance but the next question on the table is the style of play. If Carmelo Anthony is open and willing to take a lesser role and commit to playing within an offense, which means fewer isolations and holding the ball less then I believe that opens things up. That style of play is a huge detriment to his game which turns a lot of organizations off but if he’s willing to give that up then I wouldn’t doubt that a lot of teams would take that chance.

This all depends on Carmelo Anthony at the end of the day. Is he willing to give up his no-trade clause? Is he willing to take less money and go elsewhere? Is he willing to change how he plays? These are all major factors in the next step of Anthony’s career. While I don’t believe the market is big for Carmelo Anthony, if he’s willing to tweak a couple of things in his game, that can bust the market wide open.

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