2014 NBA Free Agency Rumors & Predictions: Carmelo Anthony Will Officially Opt Out! Melo Wants ‘The Dwight Howard Treatment!’ He Can Start Meeting With Other Teams On July 1!
The first official sign that validates 2014 NBA Free Agency Rumors & Predictions - Carmelo Anthony opts out of his contract.
This does not mean that he's officially out of the New York Knicks, but he's opening his doors.
Of course, the "Dwight Howard Treatment" refers to last year's offseason, when at least five teams courted Dwight Howard and made various pitches to join their team. Ultimately, he chose the Houston Rockets. Now the Rockets are in the running for Carmelo Anthony again.
The official report from ESPN: "Carmelo Anthony has decided to opt out of the final year of his contract with the New York Knicks and become an unrestricted free agent, according to multiple sources.
Anthony has until Monday to officially inform the team of his plans.
Knicks president Phil Jackson said recently that he hoped Anthony would consider opting into the final year of his contract and testing free agency in the summer of 2015. Jackson has privately expressed that hope to Anthony several times since the end of the regular season."
The Rockets and the Bulls are the prime suitors, but they need to make some moves. From CBS Sports:
"It would take a major shakeup -- amnestying or trading Carlos Boozer and trading Taj Gibson -- but the Bulls are well-positioned to make room for a much bigger catch: Knicks free agent Carmelo Anthony. With the Rockets needing to dump Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin to make room for Anthony, the Bulls could have the inside track if the Knicks' superstar decides he wants to move on. If the Bulls feel good about their chances of landing Anthony, they could move both of their picks to create room -- or dangle one in sign-and-trade talks with New York, which badly needs future assets. In addition to the 16th and 19th pick in this draft, the Bulls have Sacramento's 1-10 protected pick next year and the right to swap with Cleveland."