The Chicago Bulls are still in the mix for Carmelo Anthony says Stephen A. Smith on ESPN and he remains interested, while the NY Knicks wait to see what happens and as this goes on, the Bulls are looking at a potential sign and trade with Carlos Boozer and Pau Gasol, as he is getting interest from the LA Lakers and the NY Knicks for a potential team up with Melo.
The Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls have made runs at Carmelo Anthony this offseason after he opted out from his contract with the NY Knicks and those teams could move players like Jeremy Lin, Omer Asik and Carlos Boozer in trades to get a deal done and that makes summer 2014 a potentially dramatic one for the NBA.
Last season Anthony had another solid season for the Knicks and he led the way with 27.4 points and he was the focal point of the offense, putting up, a career-high 8.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.2 three-pointers and 1.2 steals while playing in nearly 80 games. Anthony had a rough season overall team-wise, as the Knicks missed the playoffs and that meant he was not postseason bound for the first time in his career and that could be a factor for the summer. Anthony has the right to opt out of his deal and if he does it, the Knicks are going to try hard to keep him, but only to a certain extent.
Phil Jackson has said that Anthony likely will have to take a pay cut to stay so that the team could add more talent around him and while Anthony has said he understands that, it also could play into his decision. The Knicks have the best chance to sign him since they can give him the most years and the highest amount of money, but as he nears his 30th birthday, championships are really what matters and the Knicks do not appear close to getting one. The Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets are much better situations for winning and Anthony could be the missing piece to a championship on those rosters.
The Salary cap rising will give those teams a slightly better chance at signing him and the Rockets could make moves involving Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin to clear space. Both those players are making double figures next season, but they are coming into the final year of their contracts and that could make teams much more likely to deal. The Bulls are another interesting option, as they could try to get rid of Carlo Boozer's money and that could allow them to try and sign Anthony.
