Carmelo Anthony Not Planning On Leaving New York

There’s been lots of speculation about where Carmelo Anthony, a free agent at season’s end, will be playing next year and beyond. Apparently, he’s happy right where he is. Per Newsday.com: “Carmelo Anthony can become a free agent after the upcoming season, but he gave the strongest indication yet that his plan is to re-sign with the Knicks. ‘I’m not going nowhere,’ Anthony said during an interview Tuesday with Bloomberg Television’s ‘Market Makers.’ Anthony is due to make $23.3 million in the 2014-15 season. If he were to opt out, the Lakers likely would pursue him, but the Knicks can offer him significantly more. Under the collective bargaining agreement, the most the Lakers could offer is four years and roughly $96 million. Anthony could get a maximum five-year contract worth about $129 million from the Knicks, who can start negotiating with him in February. Money aside, Anthony pushed for the February 2011 trade from Denver to be in the spotlight and try to help the Knicks win their first championship since 1973. He led them to 54 wins last season and their first Atlantic Division title in 19 years, but they lost to Indiana in the second round. Anthony, 29, remains hungry to carry the Knicks to a title. ‘That is one of the reasons why I wanted to come here to New York, just so I could take on those pressures and those challenges,’ Anthony said. ‘A lot of people do not like to deal with the pressure. A lot of people do not know how to deal with the challenges they face. To me, it is everyday life.”’