Knicks News and Rumors: Carmelo Anthony Decides to Stay in New York, Negotiating New Knicks Deal
Carmelo Anthony will stay with the New York Knicks, as new reports indicated that the free agent superstar is now negotiating a new deal to extend his stay in the Big Apple.
Multiple reports came in on Saturday that Anthony finally decided to pick the Knicks despite strong interest in and from the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Knicks reportedly offered a maximum five-year deal worth $129 million to Anthony when the 11-year veteran met with top team officials, including team president Phil Jackson and newly named coach Derek Fisher.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that Anthony might take less than the maximum amount in order to give the Knicks room to sign new players.
Anthony, who averaged 27.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game last season, made it no secret that re-signing with the Knicks was his priority, but the 30-year-old superstar, who was traded to New York in 2011 from the Denver Nuggets, also insisted that he will consider signing with a team who has a good chance of winning a title soon.
The Bulls, who were informed about Anthony's decision on Saturday afternoon, were reportedly the team that Anthony strongly considered aside from the Knicks, knowing that playing with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah could possibly put him in position to land Melo his first NBA title.
However, sources indicated that Anthony "believes in Phil Jackson" and that the seven-time All-Star is confident that the Hall of Fame coach, who built dynasties in Chicago and with the Lakers, will turn the Knicks into a contender in the near future.
Jackson, for his part, has been confident throughout the process that Anthony will eventually decide to return to the Knicks this summer, especially after their meeting on Thursday last week.
"We really struck a chord," Jackson said via Newsday. "The two of us feel really passionately about what we're trying to get accomplished. It's his ability to stay, be patient, lead and watch us develop a winner. There's no instantaneous winner that we think is going to happen to the Knicks right now, but we're going to be a lot better."
With Anthony's future in New York now secured, most executives are convinced the Jackson will make more moves to balance their roster.
The Knicks recently acquired veterans Jose Calderon and Samuel Dalembert, along with Shane Larkin and Wayne Ellington, in a trade that sent Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to the Dallas Mavericks.
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