New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is reportedly eying the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets as potential destinations once he becomes a free agent. Chicago and Houston have "risen above everything else," Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports.
Wojnarowski is the latest to report Anthony is playing in his last season as a Knick.
"Anthony has free-agent options, and two have risen above everything else: Chicago and Houston, sources with direct knowledge of his plans told Yahoo Sports," Wojnarowski wrote on Tuesday. "The Bulls have an easier path to clear the necessary salary-cap space to sign Anthony, but the Rockets believe they can shed the contracts necessary to offer a third near-max (deal) alongside Dwight Howard and James Harden, league sources said."
Wojnarowski qualifies his report with saying Anthony hasn't completely ruled out re-signing with the Knicks.
"He'll give New York every option," one source with knowledge of Anthony's plans told Yahoo Sports. "But he has options - and he's going to explore them all."
The growing consensus of reports, however, indicates Anthony will leave the Big Apple as a free agent. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reported on Monday during "First Take" that he's told Anthony will be playing in another uniform next season.
"All of these kinds of things, the very invasive and the intrusive environment that is that of the New York Knicks, I'm being told that Carmelo is convinced this ain't the way to go, and he's on his way out the door," Smith said on Mnday. "... I certainly haven't spoken to Melo about this, but I'm being told Melo is going to get out of (New York)."
Anthony is eligible to opt out of his contract and become a free agent in July.
