Knicks, Carmelo Anthony can get to NY even without Chris Paul

The New York Knicks are reportedly still planning on chasing Carmelo Anthony even if they don’t land Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul in a trade.

Marc Berman of the New York Post reported Friday that while Melo’s interest in the Knicks would be piqued if they landed Paul, the front office chase of the All-Star striker, who previously played for the team from 2011 to 2017, it does not depend on other moves.

Anthony is coming out of a recovery campaign with the Portland Trail Blazers. He scored 15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 58 regular season appearances after signing in mid-November.

The 36-year-old Syracuse product took down several threes during the Blazers’ playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, but the team was eliminated in five games.

More importantly, the stint in Portland showed progression from the 2012-13 NBA scoring champion in terms of playing a secondary role, a situation he struggled to manage during his lackluster bouts with the Thunder and Houston Rockets over the two previous seasons.

In August, the New York City native said he hoped to stay with the Blazers, though.

“I pray it could be Portland, I think I found a home in Portland,” Anthony told reporters. “… I think you [members of the media] saw it, because that’s a good reason for me. Whenever you find a situation that is comfortable for you and allows you to be who you are, you want to stay in that situation. . No need to try different things when something works”.

It will be interesting to see how aggressive the Knicks are in their first offseason under the leadership of new team president Leon Rose, a former agent with many contacts throughout the league. Paul is one of his former clients, which is why these bonds have been so strong.

Adding Paul and Anthony to a roster with some promising young talent like RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson would give New York cause for optimism for the 2020-21 season.