Rumors of the deal have stretched out most of the summer, but it appears to be off for now.
The New York Knicks are stopping trade talks for Carmelo Anthony with the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers for now, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne. Instead, the Knicks may be interested in bringing Anthony back next season despite trade rumors circulating all summer.
Anthony has a no-trade clause, but reportedly is willing to waive it for either of those two teams. However, his preferred route out of New York would be a buyout, something the Knicks have not seemed willing to give to him. They would understandably rather get something in return, which is complicated and would likely take a third or even fourth team involved in the deal. That helps explain why the deal is taking so long.
For Anthony, it seems like he has long wavered between wanting to remain in New York, where his son lives, and joining a longtime friend in a pursuit of a title — either LeBron James in Cleveland, or Chris Paul in Houston. However, ESPN reported that he had now been fully committed to getting a trade down to one of those two teams. Whether he’ll be OK with the Knicks’ somewhat sudden change of heart isn’t clear.