NBA Free Agents 2014: Carmelo Anthony To Chicago Bulls? Will Knicks Superstar Accept Massive Pay Cut To Chase Title With Derrick Rose?

NBA Free Agents of eliminated teams are looking around. For Carmelo Anthony, he wants 'the Dwight Howard' treatment, with teams presenting proposals for him. One of those teams will be the Chicago Bulls.

As in the case of Howard, only the incumbent team, in this case the New York Knicks can offer a 5 year, $129 million contract. All the other teams, in terms of money can offer about $98 million for four years.

The Bulls do not have the salary cap space to offer that.

But they can offer something most teams, maybe even the Knicks cannot: A shot at a championship.

Last January, NY Daily News asked Melo about his free agent plans (as they have done so all season long). This was his response: "(Winning a championship is) the only thing I care about. Anything else is irrelevant to me as far as when it comes to basketball. A championship is the only thing that's on my mind. That's my motivating factor. Nothing else even motivates me anymore, just that. I mean, it's hard to say at this very moment how it affects me (in the future), but for me, I gotta keep that motivation into the 'now.' And then when that time comes, you deal with that situation then."

The New York Knicks do not have the flexibility to make any major moves this summer-except trading Carmelo Anthony himself. That's something not even Phil Jackson can change.

ESPN made a study on how much the Bulls can offer Carmelo Anthony by amnestying Carlos Boozer and without trading any major pieces (particularly Taj Gibson). Melo remembers that his current debacle in New York was in a large part because the Knicks gave away valuable players to acquire him.  If the Bulls give amnesty Boozer, give up Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler (assuming these would be the Knicks trade demand) along with one of their two first round picks, the Bulls would be better, but not by much.

If Anthony is sincere that winning is the most important thing, then he should accept what the Bulls have to offer. ESPN estimated it would be somewhere around $ 12 million factoring in the increase in the cap amount and rescinding rights on their cap holds.

The max contract for him would start at $ 22.5 million with annual increases. Will Melo give up 10 million a year just for a chance to play with Derrick Rose who has missed most of the last two seasons? If he's really sincere with his declaration, the answer would be yes.

What do you think?