NBA Rumors: Carmelo Anthony to meet with Bulls, Lakers, Mavericks & Rockets
Now that Carmelo Anthony has officially opted out of his contract with the New York Knicks, he will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
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That means Anthony will be courted by teams for the first time since he chose the Syracuse Orange as a high school recruit.
According to Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com, Anthony will meet with the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers and will likely also meet with the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat.
"Carmelo Anthony has yet to publicly reveal the process by which he plans to entertain other teams in free agency now that he has opted out of his contract with the New York Knicks, but the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams that expect to have the opportunity to make their pitch to him starting July 1, according to sources close to the situation.Teams can’t formally contact free agents until 12:01 a.m. ET July 1, but sources told ESPN.com that the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat are two more teams that could join the race for Anthony, depending on how things play out before, during and after Thursday’s NBA draft."
None of the suitors are much of a surprise with the exception of the Hawks, who will have to clear at least $10 million to afford Anthony.
Anthony put up 27.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game and shot 45.2% from the field, 40.2% from beyond the arc and 84.8% from the free throw line last season.