With the trade deadline approaching, this time of the NBA season tends to be one of the most hectic for front offices across the association. Big names are always floating around and teams look to bolster their roster in any way imaginable. One of the teams expected to be active ahead of this year’s deadline is the New York Knicks, who have undergone a drastically underwhelming first half 2017 campaign. The currently hold a 23-34 record and the 11th spot in the Eastern conference, well out of the playoff picture.
The team has not only struggled to put a quality product on the court, but we’ve seen plenty of drama off the court as well including the Charles Oakley saga and trade rumors surrounding two of their key cogs in Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose.
While the Knicks are trying to unload Rose’s expiring contract, most of the noise this season has come from the Anthony front, a player who the Knicks have been shopping to several teams such as the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Just a week or two ago, a trade including the thirteen-year veteran looked inevitable as there was rumored friction between him and Phil Jackson and may not have fit into the Knicks rebuild plan.
Now, with the deadline sitting only two days away, it seems trade rumblings have begun to die down in the Big Apple, and according to Carmelo, we aren’t the only ones who’s noticed the Knicks silence. Following from ESPN’s Ian Begley:
Carmelo Anthony said he was “relaxed” on Wednesday afternoon, a little more than 24 hours until the NBA’s trade deadline. He hasn’t heard from New York Knicks management about potential deals and reiterated that he expects to be with the team after the deadline.
“I don’t think that’s something that I’m worried about or thinking about at this time,” Anthony said when asked about the possibility of being traded. “If something is going to happen, it’s going to happen. I haven’t heard anything as of right now, so that’s not something that I’m concerned about.”
Perhaps half-jokingly, Anthony said he hopes to be napping at 3 p.m. ET Thursday, when the deadline passes. The Knicks will play the Cleveland Cavaliers five hours later.
“I haven’t seen anything other than what’s on social media,” the All-Star forward said. “Other than that, nobody has reached out to me, nobody has called me, nobody has called my team. That’s why I’m not too concerned about it.”
While Carmelo Anthony may not be on the move, the Knicks still have to wonder where they go from here. The dysfunction the organization has shown in the recent months isn’t going to help this team in the future. If New York isn’t able to unload the expiring contract of Derrick Rose, they could risk their point guard leaving for nothing this coming summer. Surely Melo not hearing anything from the front office could mean that their one-two punch of him and Kristaps Porzingis will stay intact at least for the immediate future, but the Knicks shouldn’t one of the teams ruled out from making a move before the deadline passes.
