The New York Knicks will miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season despite having an improved roster this season. And because of their recent struggles, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley believes that the Knicks should move on from the Carmelo Anthony era.
Barkley said that the Knicks should decide to trade Anthony while they can get key pieces in return, pointing out that the superstar's value will continue to decrease in the next few years.
The retired NBA superstar said that the Knicks cannot rebuild while Anthony, who is playing in the second season of his five-year deal worth $124 million, is in New York.
"Yes for draft picks or something, whatever you can do you," Barkley said via SNY, when asked if the Knicks should trade Anthony this summer. "You can't have one guy making $30 million on your team if it's not going anywhere because you won't never be able to rebuild."
Anthony, who was traded to New York from the Denver Nuggets midway through the 2011-12 NBA season, has reiterated that he wants to stay in New York. The 31-year-old superstar controls his future since he has a no-trade clause in his contract. But for Barkley, the 13-year veteran should accept that he cannot win in New York.
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The Knicks selected highly-touted rookie Kristaps Porzingis in the 2015 NBA Draft and signed veteran free agents like Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo, but are still nowhere near to making the postseason. The Knicks are 13th in the Eastern Conference with their 31-46 record.
"He can't make it work anytime soon and he's only going to get older, so it might be best for both parties to move on because they're not going to win in the next couple years," Barkley continued. "I think you know that and he's only going to get older."
Anthony, who is averaging 22.0 points on top of 7.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this season, was linked to a possible move to the Cleveland Cavaliers before the deadline. According to Washington Post, Anthony could mull joining LeBron James in Cleveland if the Cavaliers decide to move Kevin Love in the offseason.
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