Carmelo Anthony: Waiving no-trade clause 'not something I've thought about'
New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony said that he hasn't thought about waiving his no-trade clause.
"I've never even, haven't even thought about that," Anthony said in Toronto when asked about the no-trade clause amid fan and media speculation about the topic, according to reports. "Like you said, I guess there's people talking about it. I don't know, I haven't thought about it. It's not something that I've thought about so far."
Anthony added that he remains committed to the organization. Anthony was asked by reporters in Toronto about his no-trade clause because Charley Rosen, a confidant of Knicks president Phil Jackson, wrote a column about the Knicks that included several critiques of the 32-year-old Anthony, including the conclusion that "Carmelo Anthony has outlived his usefulness in New York."
The organization hasn't talked to Anthony about waiving his no-trade clause. But Anthony made it clear that if Rosen's opinions are shared by Jackson, and the Knicks wish to trade him, that's something he'd like to address with the club directly.
"If that's the case, if that's where it's coming from, that side, I guess it's a conversation we should have,'' Anthony said. "If they feel my time in New York is over, I guess that's a conversation we should have."
Anthony would have to agree to waive his no-trade clause and give New York permission to trade him; he can control if and where he is dealt. Jackson included the no-trade clause in the five-year, $124 million contract he gave Anthony in the summer of 2014.
Anthony appeared frustrated by the topic on Sunday. When reporters in Torontopointed out to Anthony that Rosen, not Jackson, suggested that the Knicks were better off without him, Anthony said: "Listen, if that's how they feel, if that's coming from that side, then that's what's coming from that side. I haven't thought once about that. I hear it, hear all the rhetoric going on out there. I still come to work every day, play and bust my ass, and try not worry about it.''
The Knicks have dropped 10 of their past 12 games and are 18-23 at the season's midway point. Predictably, there is plenty of frustration among players amid all the losses. The Knicks fell to the Raptors 116-101 on Sunday and trailed by as many as 38 points in the second half.
"It's disappointing," Anthony said of having just 18 wins at this point in the season. "It's not something I've thought about right now ... It's a disappointment, but what can we do other than change it at this point?"
