Carmelo Anthony is the biggest name involved in NBA trade rumors but he has a no-trade clause in his contract which gives him the ability to veto any trade.
Melo is saying all the politically correct things in the media but one must wonder if a chance to play with LeBron James is strong enough to change his mind? For now Melo is saying that he’s staying put in NYC.
“There’s always some trade s— going [on],” Anthony said Saturday during an interview on Sirius XM NBA Radio. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“When you’re in New York, you’re always up for grabs, I’ll tell you that. Trades are always up for grabs,” Anthony said with a laugh. “It’s always, ‘Who’s next?’ There’s nothing guaranteed when you’re in New York. But I don’t pay attention to those rumors.”
Melo reiterated that his number one priority at this point in his career is winning a championship.
“I want to win a championship. At this point in my career, that’s the only thing that I really care about,” he said. “But I’m not, I mean, there’s nothing out there for me right now. … I’m not even entertaining no trade talk right now.”
The use of “right now” perked eyebrows. Melo sounded as though he was open to the right trade and the Cleveland Cavaliers is a team that could give him a chance to win a championship this year.
Melo sensed the tone in the room and quickly filled up that statement by saying he wants that ring to come in New York.
“Doing it in New York is better than doing it any place in the world,” said Anthony, who noted that he has had no conversations with management about a trade. “One in New York is better than multiple somewhere else, so that was the reason I wanted to come to New York. That’s the reason why I’m in New York, so it just bothers me when I started hearing all these trade rumors and trade talks.”
He added: “I don’t know where [trade rumors] comes from so sometimes it gets to you as a player. Just get tired of hearing something all the time. I’m not on the run. I could’ve ran somewhere when I was a free agent, you know what I’m saying? I came back for a reason. I came back because I wanted to do this.”
A serious trade proposal from the Cavaliers will test Carmelo’s loyalty to the Knicks.
