Carmelo Anthony opted out of his contract with the New York Knicks and now Phil Jackson is looking at Pau Gasol as a free agent option, while teams like the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat all could chase the NY star and he could be convinced to leave the Big Apple behind, especially if LeBron James is open to teaming up with him in South beach or elsewhere.
ESPN.com has numerous reports about Anthony, including that the Knicks are optimistic that he will sign back with the team and this comes as the Bulls and Rockets have started making moves to help try and sign him. The Rockets traded Omer Asik to the Pelicans and they have a trade for Jeremy Lin lined up as well and that puts pressure on the Knicks. New York traded away Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to get things going and now they are targeting Gasol as an option to team up with Anthony and he would reunite with Jackson after his time in LA.
Gasol would be a perfect compliment to Anthony, as he is a much better offensive player than Tyson Chandler and is also more durable even though he has had injury issues in the past. The Knicks have a tough financial situation still even with trading Chandler, as Amar'e Stoudemire is still under contract and that makes it tough for the Knicks to make moves. Anthony is visiting with a number of teams, including the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls and all of those teams see him as a major target. The Rockets will have to make more moves to sign him, while the Bulls also will need to make more moves after acquiring Doug McDermott in the draft, which likely means moving Carlos Boozer or using the amnesty clause on him.
The Miami Heat are also in the mix for Anthony even though that is unlikely, as they see LeBron James and Anthony teaming up as a solid option, but the money makes it tough. That would require the Big 3 to opt out and all take less money, including Anthony, while LeBron James also has to sign back for less and he is a free agent and coming back is not even guaranteed right now. The Knicks won just 37 games last season and they have pulled off a solid trade, acquiring Jose Calderon in the Felton-Chandler deal and the team also drafted Cleanthony Early and that could end up being a great value pick for the Knicks in the second round.
The Knicks can offer Anthony a max deal of five years and nearly $130 million and to sign with anyone else, he would have to take less money. Anthony can sign for four years and nearly $100 million for other teams, but those teams likely can't give him a max deal if they want other players. The Bulls are a team to watch, as they see him as the missing piece to the championship puzzle along with Derrick Rose, as he is a major scoring threat and that is what they are lacking.
