Before Carmelo Anthony retired in 2023, there were rumors that Anthony would finish his legendary NBA career with the New York Knicks . According to the story, the Knicks even consulted new franchise player Jalen Brunson about the possibility of playing with Melo.
During the recent episode of his 7PM in Brooklyn Podcast, the 10-time NBA All-Star confirmed that gossip, admitting that he and the Knicks did go deep in their discussions and that he was literally one click away from donning the Knicks #7 jersey again.
"They had a spot on the roster," said Anthony. "And respectfully, the powers that be, we sat down and had a real conversation. 'Listen, here's a spot. You could be on the team tomorrow, but this is the spot."
Not the role that he envisioned
According to Melo, the conversations happened after the 2021-22 season, during which he fulfilled his dream of playing with his childhood buddy LeBron James in Los Angeles. But what was supposed to be a nostalgic year turned out very productive for the then 37-year-old leaving legend.
However, with the Lakers missing the playoffs, Melo said it was evident during the offseason that they weren't bringing him back. So he entertained offers, and one of them was from the Knicks. Anthony said he had always wanted to finish his career in New York, and when the opportunity came, he went to the discussion table to talk. The roster spot was there, but it wasn't the kind of role he envisioned.
"The not knowing of when you're gonna play and not play, I'd rather not go through that. I'ma bow out gracefully. I just had a hell of a year in L.A. in my role. Basketball ain't the issue. I can't do that. That's a hell of a decline, when I look at the overall big picture. So I had to stand on that, like no disrespect. These are really the people that I fu** with. We had real relationships so it was just like 'Nah, I can't accept that,'" added Carmelo.
Melo had reinvented his game in his final two NBA seasons
Carmelo has always been the first option on his teams. One of the reasons he didn't join the Miami Heat Big 3 in 2010 was that he didn't want to play second fiddle to anybody . But late in his career, he was smart enough to reinvent his game and accept a bench role, where he provided instant offense.
That began during the 2020-21 season, his second with the Blazers. After starting all 58 games for Portland the year before that, Melo came off the bench for the first time in his career, starting just 3 of 69 games played. Surprisingly, he thrived in the role and even finished 7th in the Sixth Man of the Year voting.
He almost had an identical season with the Lakers in 2021-22, and at that point, he still believed he had plenty to give in that role. However, while the Knicks had a ready roster spot, they could not guarantee him a role on the team. So if he declined a chance to win championships with the Heatles, it was easy to turn down a farewell tour with the Knicks.
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