Knicks Broke Carmelo Anthony’s Heart as Details From Disrespectful 2022 Trade Talks Become Public

“That love is different. That fan base is different for me. It goes deeper than basketball. They embrace me. I embrace them.” Carmelo Anthony praised his former team and even hinted at a potential return in 2021. Before hanging up his boots with the Lakers, Melo could return to the New York Knicks. Even players like Jalen Brunson were on board with the idea, but why did it fail?

In 2022, Carmelo Anthony said that he almost returned to the New York Knicks, but the two sides could not come together on a deal & the idea ultimately collapsed. Anthony, who was 38 at the time, was in talks with Jalen Brunson & other players & they were all on board. “I can’t do not knowing of when you gonna play and not play. I’d rather not go through that.”

For the Lakers, he was averaging 26 minutes and scored 13.3 points per game. But the Knicks offered a spot for him on the roster, without confirming his playing time. “I can’t accept that. I don’t even think y’all want me in that role, because you know deep down inside like I don’t want you in that role right there,” Carmelo Anthony spoke on his podcast. The 10x All-Star also thought there was a hesitation from the management when offering the deal.

“I also think there was a little hesitation of really offering me that position. Because of the response, they would have got of me being over here and not playing.” Looking back at the Knicks roster, they needed a perimeter shooter and a veteran to guide the team. Carmelo Anthony ticked both those boxes. However, the negotiations did not go as planned.

Was money a factor for Carmelo Anthony declining a reunion?

The 2013 NBA scoring champion was offered a 12th-man spot, which he wasn’t ready to deal with emotionally or mentally. He stated that the offer was never about the money, but the potential mis-fit, which led to him declining a return. Ultimately contractual negotiations were also involved, which did not sit right with Carmelo Anthony.

“If you do numbers and you put those numbers up against people, there’s no way that you could tell me that to take a vet minimum.” Apart from scoring, Melo showed incredible prowess, with 44.1% in FG% and 37.5% from 3P. So Carmelo decided against returning to MSG and focused on other endeavors.

This What-IF situation is similar to Carmelo Anthony not joining Big3 of Miami early on in his career. He was more focused on building his legacy than being an afterthought on the team. Similar to that situation, we wouldn’t know how the move would have panned out. But Melo decided to retire on his terms, rather than to wait around for the situation to turn worse.

“Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.”