Carmelo Anthony is the franchise player for the New York Knicks. After signing a max contract last season, he expressed his faith in Phil Jackson while also admitting that the Chicago Bulls gave him the best chance at winning a title. However, according to Anthony his faith in Phil overshadowed that as he remained confident New York could turn things around. That faith appeared to be fading after the Knicks drafted Kristaps Porzingis and traded Tim Hardaway Jr. Anthony denies the drama.
A reported surfaced following the NBA Draft by ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that Anthony was not happy with Jackson drafting Porzingis. Smith said via Sirius XM Radio, "I [was] talking to my sources last night. All they said was, he's furious, he's livid. He feels completely hoodwinked and betrayed by Phil Jackson. He feels like he was lied to, like he was sold a bill of goods. And he's willing to concede that he wanted his money. But he didn't know it was going to be like this."
Anthony took to Instagram to make sure that he cleared the air following that report. Anthony stressed that getting Porzingis was a "steal" and that there as no drama between him and the team. However, that does not mean Anthony is not going to be keeping a watchful eye on the future moves of the Knicks. The team still has a lot of holes to fill on the roster that they did not address in the draft. The $26 million in salary cap space should help that effort.
According to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, the next move for the Knicks is chasing top free agents. LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMarre Carroll and Greg Monroe. David West will be an option after he declined his $12.6 million player option with the Indiana Pacers while Brook Lopez will get a look if he does the same. The Knicks cannot afford to miss out on a top defensive star.
Could trades still be in the works for New York? The Knicks still need a point guard. According to Begley, they were in discussions about getting Eric Bledsoe. Ty Lawson could be an option. New York only has two players under contract in the back court. Jerian Gran may or may not develop in time. The Knicks have some options at the position, but they will be limited with other contracts they plan on handing out.