Carmelo Anthony has been at the center of many trade rumors over the years, and this season is no different.
He was most recently linked to the Cleveland Cavaliers by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. But as he’s maintained throughout the course of the current campaign, the All-Star small forward continues to insist he’s not going anywhere.
When asked about the rumors on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Anthony expressed no small amount of disdain for the constantly churning rumor mill:
Carmelo Anthony to @SiriusXMNBA: "There's always some trade s*** going, I don't pay attention to those rumors. I'm not going anywhere."
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) February 13, 2016
Anthony has a no-trade clause in his current contract with the New York Knicks. He is in the second season of a five-year deal. And, while he has admitted he’d love to “play with another great player, another star player” it seems more likely he’d be looking for players to join him in New York, rather than move himself.
At the same time, he still is playing coy about what it might take to get him to waive that clause.
Melo on what it'd take to waive no-trade: I can’t answer that. That’s hard to answer. I can but I don’t think I will answer that question.
— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) February 13, 2016
It is funny to consider that even Isola’s report in which he says preliminary talks have occurred about a potential trade that would send Kevin Love to New York and Anthony to Cleveland, he opens by saying Anthony is fully committed to the Knicks for now.
“Carmelo Anthony remains committed to the Knicks for now, even if it means passing on the opportunity to join his long-time friend LeBron James in Cleveland,” Isola wrote.
So, while it’s fun for fans to dream about the possibility of Anthony and James playing together for a championship in Cleveland, nobody should hold their breath waiting for it to happen.
Besides, given the way Kristaps Porzingis has come along in his rookie season, perhaps Anthony already has “another star player” to play alongside him in the next few years. There certainly is some instability to work through right now in New York, given the team’s recent firing of ex-head coach Derek Fisher, but things might not be as bad as they seem.
One thing is certain, if Anthony won’t be swayed to make a move to play with James in Cleveland, he likely won’t be swayed to go anywhere else, either.