Despite the fact that the New York Knicks have lost four games in a row to drop their record to 8-10 they have surprised many people by how well they have played so far this season. The main reason for the surprise start is rookie Kristaps Porzingis who was considered a project coming into the league but has played great this season. Right now the Knicks future looks pretty bright but there was a time not too long ago when the Knicks were reportedly considering starting over and that would mean trading Carmelo Anthony but it is being reported now that that was never a consideration, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.
Anthony signed a five year deal worth $124 million last summer and with that deal came a no-trade clause but there was the thought that the no-trade clause wouldn't hinder a deal because Anthony would want to go somewhere he could win. A trade for the Knicks seemed to make sense because while Anthony is one of the best scorers in the NBA he is not the type of player that will carry a team to a championship.
The issue with a potential trade of Anthony, besides the no-trade clause, is what team would want to take on that huge contract. Regardless of the contract though general manager Steve Mills said the Knicks never had any discussions about trading Anthony, an assertion Lowe believes to be untrue as many around the league felt he might have been available at some point.
The reality of the situation is that even if the Knicks were open to trading Melo a trade was never likely to happen as it would have been very complicated. With the no-trade clause, the huge contract and what the Knicks would want in return there just isn't a team that would have realistically been able to strike a deal for the 31 year old star.
The way the Knicks are built right now they are not going to win a championship anytime soon but they are building something that seems quite promising with Porzingis in the center of it all. Anthony is getting up there in age now and likely doesn't have too much more time as an elite player in the league but he is still important to the team because he is the big name that can attract future free agents to join the Knicks. There are many Knicks fans that don't like Carmelo because he isn't a number one guy who will lead a team to a championship and therefore want him traded but the truth is that he is extremely important to them and his value is much greater to the team than anything he would bring back in a trade so if Mills is telling the truth about the Knicks never considering trading him then it was a wise choice.
