With New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony admitting his season would probably be over after the All-Star Game, veteran Amar'e Stoudemire now appears more likely to ask - and receive - a buyout from team president Phil Jackson. If Stoudemire is bought out, the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors look like the frontrunners to land him.
Anthony has been on restricted minutes because of a sore knee, and with little hope of the Knicks making the playoffs, he admitted Thursday on ESPN Radio it was "very likely" the team would shut him down after Sunday's All-Star Game.
Not putting meaningless minutes on Anthony's 30-year-old body makes sense, but it could also be the deciding factor for Stoudemire, who recently said he would consider whether to ask for a buyout over the All-Star break. With Anthony likely finished after Sunday, there's seemingly no reason for Stoudemire to play out his expiring contract in New York - especially since it's unlikely Jackson will re-sign him in the offseason.
If Stoudemire were to receive a buyout and become a free agent by March 1, there would be a number of playoff-bound teams willing to sign him. Teams reportedly interested in him include the Los Angeles Clippers, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Phoenix Suns, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Warriors and the Mavericks. It's the last two teams, though, that seem the most likely to acquire him as a free agent.
"(Stoudemire) starred under Alvin Gentry in Phoenix... when Kerr was the GM there... and I think both men might be able to see a back-up 4/5 role for Stoudemire with the Warriors if he was interested in coming for a playoff sprint," Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News wrote Tuesday. "Stoudemire, maybe for 4 or 5-minute stretches, can do one thing no Warriors big man can do currently-get on the post, power his way to the rim, then finish with scoring skill."
Kawakami and ESPN's Marc Stein, however, both seem to believe Dallas has the best chance of signing Stoudemire, if he were to receive a buyout.
In the meantime, Jackson will likely be on the phones trying to trade him before the Feb. 19 deadline. If no deal can be found, and if Stoudemire decides he does want a buyout, there doesn't appear to be any reason for Jackson not to agree to one.
