Would it though? How much can we pay him once he's been bought out? I was of the understanding we needed to clear Anderson cap space to fit him in
No, it is. It's entirely up to him. If he doesn't want to be traded, no matter what deal the Knicks make, he can say no. If he does want to come to Houston, and they refuse to trade him, then he walks next season for nothing and comes here anyway.
I am not saying otherwise, just within the time frame of the next months. If he walks next year, GSW probably have another championship under their belt. Chris Paul is one year older. Time is really not a good factor. The Knicks have to be persuaded to let go.
Melo and Knicks are in good terms in relationship. Unlike Paul George who killed the Pacers by announcing with the Lakers stuff. If Melo wants to leave, he will leave. Remember in the future, the Knicks will have to deal with other free-agent players who will see how Knicks treat their players.
Sure, it may be less exciting for him to come a year from now, but no matter what the Knicks do, or want to do, Melo will decide where he plays next.
"It's gonna be a very hard sell for Steve Mills & Scott Perry to convince Carmelo to come back at this point."
Without clicking on the video yet, I love the cynical-looking smile that the frame captures. Cynical-looking, mind you. Just kinda funny.
All that matters is who's on the squad before the regular season starts. We have 3 months to go. Enjoy the summer with your families. Melo wants to be here and Morey will make it happen.
The bottom line is that the Knicks still don't want Melo back on the team and he does not want back on the team. This is not just a Phil Jackson thing. Even when they signed Tim Hardaway, the Knicks released a statement about how they are building around youth, athleticism and "accountability." So what does that say about Melo? Sure, the Knicks want more in return. But given the situation (no trade clause, the fact that they don't want him on the team), "more in return" is not just going happen.
Knicks might not want to trade Melo now and might try and convince him to stay but that bridge has pretty much been burned.
Well if they try to talk Melo into staying, and he says no, then that completely destroys every single ounce leverage they had. Up to this point, there has always been that little possibility of the Knicks keeping Melo. It wasn't likely, but it was possible. Now, by saying they want to talk to Melo about staying, they are putting all of their cards on the table. After this "pause", if they continue to try to trade him, then that means he said no. And there goes every bit of their leverage... not that they had much to begin with.
