LOS ANGELES — Carmelo Anthony is ready to chase a championship with Phil Jackson in New York.
After agonizing over a decision for the past week, Anthony is expected to announce on Thursday that he is re-signing with the Knicks, the Daily News has learned. Anthony’s agent, Leon Rose, claims that “no decision” has been reached, but a friend who was with Anthony on Wednesday in Los Angeles told the Daily News that Anthony “wants to get it done in New York.”
“He will have something for everybody on Thursday,” said the friend who was with Anthony before Anthony’s scheduled workout with Kevin Durant and Kevin Love in Bel Air. “He is really torn because this is the biggest decision of his career. But he wants to get it done in New York. He told me he believes in Phil.”
Players can begin signing free agent contracts on Thursday, and the deal on the table from the Knicks is a max contract worth $129 million over five years. Barring a last-minute change of heart or barring the Chicago Bulls being able to convince Jackson, the Knicks president, to engage in a sign-and-trade, Anthony will re-sign with the Knicks.
The Lakers have also offered Anthony a max deal over four years, which is worth $96 million. The Chicago Bulls can offer only $75 million but could potentially get close to the max in a sign-and-trade.
Anthony, who throughout the season was steadfast in saying that he wanted to remain in New York, was intrigued by moving west and joining his good friend Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. He also believed that he would be joining a championship contender in Chicago where the Bulls have a strong core with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. Anthony was impressed with the Bulls’ presentation and felt a strong bond with the players and head coach Tom Thibodeau.
But ultimately, Anthony’s heart is in New York, where his family is comfortable and where he is confident that Jackson can return the club to prominence.
Anthony’s friend says that Anthony prolonging his decision is not a reflection of him having second thoughts about the Knicks or Jackson, who upset the Anthony camp on several occasions by publicly challenging Anthony to take less than the max.
Jackson, fearing he could lose Anthony, met with the All-Star forward in Los Angeles last Thursday and offered him $129 million. The Knicks were expecting to receive a verbal agreement from Anthony that night, but Anthony wanted to take at least the weekend to decide his future.
By Wednesday, Anthony was telling friends that he could put himself in a position to win a championship in New York. The Knicks last won an NBA title in 1973.
Jackson still has to make significant upgrades to turn the Knicks into a contender, especially if LeBron James stays in the Eastern Conference. However, Anthony is pleased by the addition of point guard Jose Calderon, whom the Knicks acquired from the Mavs via a trade on draft night. Once Anthony re-signs, Jackson will continue his pursuit of Lakers free agent Pau Gasol, who is friends with Calderon, his Spanish national team teammate.
That Anthony is training with Durant and Love, his Olympic teammates, is interesting since the Knicks feel they may have a chance to eventually add one of those All-Stars. Love can become a free agent next summer and has mentioned the Knicks as one of the clubs he would consider.
The problem is that Love is expected to be traded by Minnesota before next summer and the Knicks don’t have the assets to get him. If Love is traded to a team of his choice, he will likely re-sign with that club. The Boston Celtics, in fact, are a possible destination.
Durant, the reigning league MVP, is scheduled to become a free agent in the summer of 2016. There is already talk of Durant leaving Oklahoma City for a larger market.
Coincidentally, Durant played the last few seasons with current Knicks coach Derek Fisher and gave his former teammate a strong endorsement during a recent conversation with Anthony.
Jackson is trying to unload the expiring contracts of both Amar’e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani, but those deals are complicated by the fact that the Knicks would likely have to include either Iman Shumpert or Tim Hardaway Jr. in a deal, and Jackson is reluctant to do so.
