NBA Rumors: Carmelo Anthony expected to take a pay cut
By Josh Hill
The future of Carmelo Anthony is something that we’re all looking forward to as he could land just about anywhere, including back with the New York Knicks, as he’s officially opted out and is on the open market.
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There has been rampant speculation about where he might land and how much money he might ask for and NBA scribe Howard Beck has a good idea of what might happen. According to Beck, no matter where Melo lands this offseason, he’s likely to take a pay cut to allow for a solid team to be built around him.
Prediction: Carmelo Anthony will be taking a pay cut regardless of where he lands, including NY. Just a matter of how much.
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) June 22, 2014
This is excellent news for teams like the Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls who are up against the cap with their pursuit of Melo and could use any relief they can find. Chicago specifically has ways to shed salary but getting Melo to take a pay cut will only further help their cause as frontrunners to land him.
There’s no saying what Carmelo Anthony will ask for on the open market but if he’s willing to take a paycut then that might open up more teams to thinking they might want to pursue him.
It’s going to be a long summer for Carmelo, but he’s officially a free agent now and we will see how willing he is to take a pay cut when big numbers start getting thrown at him.