Following a horrible initial season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, it appears that future Hall of Fame forward Carmelo Anthony will remain with the team for at least one more year.
In news that’s not necessarily too shocking, Marc Stein of The New York Times is reporting that the 34-year-old Anthony will not opt out of his contract for the 2018-19 season. Anthony had until midnight Saturday morning to decide whether to opt out of his deal.
The 10-time All-Star is set to earn nearly $28 million next season in Oklahoma City. Anthony is coming off a 2017-18 campaign that saw him average just 16.2 points per game while shooting at a 40 percent mark from the field. It was the lowest scoring output of Anthony’s career.
While OKC would have likely preferred Anthony to opt out, the team is pretty much stuck with him. No other squad is going to take on that bloated contract. Meanwhile, a contract buyout seemingly makes little sense.
Anthony’s decision not to opt out could also have an impact on what teammate Paul George does in free agency next month. That’s certainly something to keep an eye on.