Carmelo Anthony has all but decided to leave New York and the Knicks, and now it seems just a matter of where the All-Star veteran forward will land.
The New York Daily News is reporting Anthony's high-stakes weekend meeting with Phil Jackson, James Dolan and Derek Fisher in Los Angeles did little to dissuade his way of thinking and now he is expected to choose between the Bulls, Rockets and possibly Heat.
Try as the Knicks might to talk Anthony out of opting out of his current deal with the team, the league's No. 2 top scorer reiterated he plans to do just that come July 1, paving the way for his official Garden exit.
The News points out Chicago may be sitting pretty most of all, as Bulls GM John Paxson is close with Jackson from their three-peat days in Chicago, not to mention the team could offer a sign-and-trade package for Anthony that features Carlos Boozer's expiring contract and some combination of their two first-round draft picks this year and young, emerging stars Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler and Tony Snell.
The Rockets are rumored to be offering center Omer Asik and guard Jeremy Lin. The Miami plan, though far more complicated than any of the others being discussed, can't be discounted as Anthony has insisted winning is now what's most important to him at this point in his career.
For the Heat to have any chance of signing Anthony the Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would all need to opt out of their deals and agree to take substantially less money in order to clear space for him.
Anthony averaged 27 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks this season.
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