Carmelo Anthony details why Knicks weren’t even considered in free agency

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony
Feb 10, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) leaves the court after losing to the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Going into his 18th season in the NBA, former New York Knicks sharpshooter Carmelo Anthony was rumored to possibly make a return to Madison Square Garden. Anthony, who spent seven seasons with New York and played in 412 total games, found a new home with the Portland Trailblazers this past season. He led them to the playoff bubble, and while they didn’t reach the finals, the team is getting stronger and could make it even more prominent run this upcoming campaign.

During Melo’s time with the Knicks, he averaged 24.7 points per game, 3.2 assists, 7.0 total rebounds, a .443 field goal percentage, and .369 percentage from beyond the arc. Altogether, he was phenomenal in New York, representing their best player for many years. However, the Knicks are back to square one and trying to rebuild their roster with youth.

Did the New York Knicks try to rekindle a relationship with Carmelo?

“At this point, it wasn’t really a lot [of consideration],’’ Anthony said on a Zoom call Friday, per the New York Post. “The Knicks were making moves and were trying to figure out the direction they wanted to go in. They weren’t done making moves. I’m sure they have a plan. I don’t think me coming in and trying to mess their plan up was good for either party.”

Melo has a point, the Knicks are looking to go in a different direction under a new head coach Tom Thibodeau and President Leon Rose. While they failed to lure any max-contract level players to New York, they acquired ample draft capital for the future and secured two quality players in the draft.

Carmelo always knew he was going back to Portland, where he feels he can be competitive and push for a title at 36 years old.

“It was something I always felt I would be back and coming back,’’ Anthony said. “It’s something we discussed after the bubble. It was always a part of the plan. The decision wasn’t tough. The only thing tough was figuring out the direction the organization was going and how they saw me being a part of the organization. If it was a just a one-time thing last season or all parties felt the need we needed to do [again]. We came to that agreement.”