Carmelo Anthony is counting the days until he can opt out of his contract and become a free agent. Anthony recently said that he was looking forward to being a free agent and that free agency is something every player dreams about.
"I want to be a free agent," Anthony told the New York Observer. "I think everybody in the NBA dreams to be a free agent at least one time in their career. It's like you have an evaluation period, you know. It's like if I'm in the gym and I have all the coaches, all the owners, all the GMs come into the gym and just evaluate everything I do. So yes, I want that experience."
Going into this season, Anthony has two years remaining on his current deal but has the choice to opt out of the final season of his contract in order to make more money. This doesn't mean that Anthony would choose to play for another team, as he could re-negotiate a more lucrative deal with the Knicks and stay in New York, but it does open the option that he could possibly move on to another team.
Anthony has kept his plans regarding his destination for 2014 tight-lipped, but has also given the impression that he would be open to staying in New York since it was his dream to play for the Knicks in the first place.
"I came to New York for a reason," he told the New York Observer "I've been with you all my life, almost to a fault. I wanted to come here and take on the pressures of playing in New York. So one thing I would tell my fans: If you haven't heard it from me, then it ain't true."
ESPN reported that the Knicks can start negotiating a new deal with Anthony in February, however if nothing is reached and he opts out he will have plenty of suitors. Knicks president and general manager Steve Mills said that the team has "every intention" of holding onto Anthony when the season is over.
Still, if he slips out onto the market, teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers could be very active in pursuing him. Anthony would join a free agent list that will potentially include the likes of LeBron James.
Insiders have speculated that Anthony could make his decision based on whether or not the Knicks can move forward in the playoffs. In his first year with the team in 2012, it was knocked out of the first round by the Miami Heat, and after a first place finish in the Atlantic that saw the Knicks notch the No.2 seed in the Eastern Conference in 2013, New York lost to the Indiana Pacers in the second round in six games after defeating the Boston Celtics in six in Round 1.
Anthony said he's not going to let his future rely on how the Knicks do and put added pressure on the team.
"I'm not going to put that pressure on myself or our guys to say that it's championship or bust," Anthony told ESPN last month. "I don't want to put a cap on what's a successful season or what's a failure [of a] season for us."
While that's all true, the fate of the Knicks this season could still factor in to Melo's future, whether he wants to admit it or not.
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