The LA Lakers are the top competition for Carmelo Anthony for the NY Knicks and the team has pitched Melo the idea of playing with Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant and draft pick Julius Randle in the near future and the team also has the possibility of a Klay Thompson trade for Steve Nash with the Warriors if Golden State continues to engage in Kevin Love trade talks.
The Knicks have always been considered the favorites to sign Anthony, but it was the Bulls everyone assumed was the number two option and now it appears it's Los Angeles. According to ESPN.com, LA has emerged as the second option for Anthony over the Knicks, as the team has pitched Melo on being at the center of the entertainment industry and the idea of joining a franchise with the prestige of the Lakers that has shown it can get back to winning championships quickly, like it has in the past. The team is also meeting with LeBron James, but Anthony is considered to be the more likely option to sign.
Anthony is on the market after opting out of his contract last month and he is visiting with a number of teams apart from the Knicks, including the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls. At the beginning of free agency, the Knicks, Bulls and Rockets were looked at as the favorites for Anthony, but now it appears New York and Los Angeles are the final teams battling. ESPN.com writes that Anthony is considering this decision in all its weight and that the Knicks are the favorites and are ready to offer him a max contract. The Lakers have a ton of cap space and that is another attractive reason to join the team and they are planning to offer him a four year contract for the maximum amount of $97 million.
The Knicks can offer Anthony the most money and longest contract at five years and $129 million, but Pro Basketball Talk reports that Anthony would be willing to take less than the max contract to help the team sign other players. The report says that Anthony could take the max money to start the contract and then go down to give the team more cap space in the 2015 summer, which is when Kevin Love is expected to hit the market. Love could sign an extension if he gets traded, but the Knicks feel that they would be in position to sign him if he hits the market next year.
The Lakers are also speaking with LeBron James, but most people think he is staying in Miami and that he will not sign elsewhere. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls are also looking at James and they could try and sign him away from Miami as well, but ESPN.com reports that the most likely scenario for James is remaining in South Beach with Dwyane Wade, while Chris Bosh could leave for the Rockets. Kobe Bryant spoke with Anthony after his meeting and Bill Simmons writes that LA made a very good impression on Anthony and that they are the top team along with the Knicks and Bulls to sign him this offseason to a new contract just a few years after he was traded from the Denver Nuggets.