Carmelo Anthony would return for one last glorious run in New York. Having recently been reminded that Kevin Durant didn’t want the spotlight to play at Madison Square Garden, Anthony represents the latest top player to embrace what it was like to play for the Knicks. He wanted the challenge. Perhaps he would have accepted the challenge of playing a different role as a veteran shooter on a team looking to develop a young roster and return to respectability.
Anthony found a home in Portland last season after spending several months out of the league. He helped them reach the playoffs in the bubble with one of his patented clutch shots. He later indicated that he hopes to return to the Blazers.
But don’t rule out the Knicks yet! With his former agent, Leon Rose, who manages things at MSG, anything is possible. New York has been linked to Chris Paul in commercial rumors. Taking Paul to the Big Apple could be the lure that prompts Anthony to return.
Adding Anthony wouldn’t cost much in terms of salary. The question is whether Paul and Anthony’s veteran additions would help the Knicks develop their core pieces in RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson, alongside young players such as Frank Ntilikina, Kevin Knox and Dennis Smith Jr.
It is reasonable to assume that some of those players (perhaps Knox or DSJ) would be lost in a Chris Paul exchange, but if most of the young pieces remain, Rose must decide if their development is aided by playing alongside veteran pieces that can help them. to win games.