Frank Isola ✔ @FisolaNYDN
Carmelo Anthony's camp has said for weeks, including day the Kyrie Irving news surfaced, that Melo's sole focus is to be traded to Houston.
8:24 PM - Aug 1, 2017
Report: Carmelo Anthony only wants a trade to Rockets, not Cavaliers
Carmelo Anthony has reportedly whittled his list of potential trade destinations down to one, which means the staring contest between the New York Knicks and their disgruntled star is coming into focus.
The ongoing Kyrie Irving saga has given Anthony pause about waiving his no-trade clause to join Banana Boat buddy LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the 10-time All-Star is now only interested in joining Banana Boat buddy Chris Paul on the Houston Rockets, per the New York Post.
The Cavaliers should not take Anthony’s refusal to join the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions lightly. This revelation follows a report that Jimmy Butler was warned to stay away by Cavs players over concerns about the team’s impending implosion.
Cleveland tried to acquire Butler, but the Chicago Bulls instead traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves. With an increasing number of stars reportedly unwilling to pair with James, the Cavaliers have to be concerned about both their long-term prospects of keeping LeBron and the possibility of getting equal value in an Irving trade.
Melo is essentially saying, If you want to trade me so badly, you’ll have to take the less-than-ideal offer from Houston, and the Knicks are countering, If you want to be traded so badly, you’ll have to let us find a more ideal offer than the one from Houston. All of which should make for a fun rest of the summer for Rockets and Knicks fans who await which side blinks first.