Sporting News claim Anthony wants team pitches and meetings.
New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is reportedly hoping to have several teams try to recruit him this summer, similar to the process Dwight Howard went through last year.
It is understood that the Knicks still remain the priority for the 29-year-old, who has previously revealed that he will sit down with management first to discuss their plan for the future.
However, if team president Phil Jackson isn’t able to produce a winning picture in the next year or so, then Anthony could be tempted to explore his options away from the Big Apple.
The Chicago Bulls have been linked with a move, despite the fact that they would not be able to offer as much financially as the Knicks in a max deal, and it would be for four years compared to the five that New York can offer.
Nevertheless, the Bulls arguably represent a better chance of winning in the short-term and Anthony is understood to be keen on having interested teams recruit him.
“He wants to be in a situation where he can start winning, and he is going to look at teams based on that,” said Sean Deveney of the Sporting News, according to a source.
“Coaching is only a part of the equation. What they do now is not going to be as important as can they win?”
“Free agency opens on July 1, and, the source said, Anthony would like, “the Dwight Howard treatment.” That means he wants to go through the same sort of process that Howard went through last summer, when Howard set up shop in Los Angeles and set up meetings with five teams—Houston, the Lakers, Dallas, Golden State and Atlanta—each of whom came in and made formal presentations.”
The report has attracted some criticism from NBA fans in the sense that it appears to be a way of inflating Anthony’s ego more given that he essentially wants to be chased by teams around the league.
However, ultimately the decision will be down to whether or not his commitment to New York is unbreakable, or if he believes that his best chance of winning a ring is to move elsewhere which would in turn mean making financial sacrifices.
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