(SP) – The New York Knicks are reportedly looking around the NBA for a trade that would send Carmelo Anthony out of town in exchange for a haul of young talent or draft picks. But so far the franchise has not found an attractive offer.
“I’ll be honest, we’re starting to get a little concerned that there isn’t the market we had hoped for a 33-year old player on the downside of his career with well-known deficiencies in his game making $26 million a year,” said a team front office source. “We’ve gone through various trade scenarios and we keep coming back to the idea that probably only the New York Knicks would give up a lot for a player like that. Unfortunately, we are the Knicks and can’t trade with ourselves. I think.”
Anthony has reportedly been shopped to both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets, but neither team is willing to give up a lot for a player who has failed to lead his team into the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference in each of the last four years.
“Carmelo is a definite role player on a good team at this point in his career,” said one NBA GM. “So that makes him the best Knicks player in a generation. It’s pretty depressing from their point of view. I mean, there’s a chance he suddenly becomes very good simply by not being on the Knicks. But who wants to take that chance?”
In order to make a trade happen, the Knicks say they are willing to acquire mediocre players with massive, franchise-killing contracts.
“We’re going to have to acquire true Knicks players to make a deal work,” said the Knicks team source.
