Carmelo Anthony reportedly will begin free agency by visiting the Chicago Bulls. Houston Rockets star Dwight Howard, meanwhile, reportedly is trying to contact Anthony on behalf of the Rockets, and although the New York Knicks remain the favorite to re-sign Anthony, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks also are linked to the Knicks star.
Anthony has a busy week ahead of him, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.
"Sources told ESPN.com that Anthony is in the process of arranging a trip to Chicago to meet with the Bulls, then intends to travel to Texas for Wednesday meetings with both the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks," Stein wrote Monday night. "Sources say Anthony is likely to visit the Rockets first on Wednesday, followed by the Mavericks in the afternoon.
"Anthony, who maintains an offseason home in Los Angeles, is expected to meet with the Lakers on Thursday, sources told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne."
Apparently in advance of Anthony's arrival to Houston, the New York Daily News reported Howard is trying to "track down Anthony's phone number to deliver his own recruiting pitch."
Both ESPN and The Daily News, however, report the Knicks as being the favorites to re-sign Anthony. Knicks president Phil Jackson supposedly is highly optimistic about his chances of keeping Anthony in New York and is said to be willing to offer Anthony a maximum contract worth $129 million over five years.
Signing with New York, though, likely means enduring another losing season. Although the Knicks received a much-needed upgrade at point guard with Jose Calderon, the roster still has major gaps in it - especially with the loss of defensive anchor Tyson Chandler in the paint and the inconsistency of 2-guard J.R. Smith.
Although teams now are free to pursue Anthony, a deal cannot be signed until July 10.
