The Chicago Bulls are a finalist for Carmelo Anthony in free agency with the NY Knicks and LA Lakers and now those teams are all awaiting his decision and the Bulls could look at a trade with Carlos Boozer to clear more cap space, while Pau Gasol also could play a factor, as the free agent has expressed interest in playing with Anthony and has been mentioned as a potential target for all three teams trying to sign Melo.
The Bulls recruited Anthony along with the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Knicks and Lakers and now Pro Basketball Talk is reporting that Anthony is deciding between staying in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Yahoo Sports reported that Anthony and Gasol have had contact about playing together in New York, but it might be easier to do in LA since the Lakers have the Bird rights for Gasol. The Lakers are Knicks are considered the top two teams in the mix for Anthony and he can sign the biggest contract for the most years with the Knicks at five years and $129 million.
ESPN and SI.com report that the Chicago Bulls right now are the frontrunners to sign Anthony and this comes as the team also has been rumored to be one of the teams in the Kevin Love trade talks. The Bulls are looking to add another major star to play alongside Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah and the team thinks Anthony could be a perfect fit because of his scoring skills and ability to create his own shot.
Carlos Boozer will need to be traded or amnestied for the Bulls to have enough cap space to sign Anthony and Taj Gibson also could get moved as the team tries to make deals to open money up. Anthony was in the final year of his contract and he opted out of his $23.5 million deal to be a free agent now rather than wait another year and play out his full contract. The Knicks traded a nice package for Anthony a few years ago and now they are at risk of losing him for nothing.
The Bulls were the top defensive team in the league last season, but they ranked last in points per game on offense and adding Anthony could bring a whole new dimension to the team if Rose can come back healthy. The Bulls lost in the first round of the playoffs after losing Rose to an injury for the second time in two years and they feel their window is closing with the core of Noah and Rose.
The Knicks are still going after Anthony this summer, but there is a chance he will be convinced to sign elsewhere and that could be a massive blow for Phil Jackson as he tries to build the team. According to ESPN and Yahoo Sports, Anthony has told the Knicks that he is opting out of his contract to become a free agent and this was long expected by people in the media and in the basketball world. The Knicks came into this season knowing that opting out would be a likely possibility for Anthony and after starting off 3-13 and struggling for most of the season, Phil Jackson was brought in to start turning things around and his first major move will be whether he can keep Melo or not.