Speaking with NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony finally set the record straight on the trade that brought him to New York back in 2011. Contrary to popular belief, Anthony insists that he never actually demanded a trade to the Knicks that year.
“New York was never the place though,” said Anthony. “People act like I went in there and was like get me out of here to Denver. That never was the case.”
After seven and half seasons with the Nuggets, things finally came to a head at the 2011 trade deadline, when the Knicks gave up most of their future assets to trade for Anthony in a blockbuster trade that forever changed the NBA hierarchy. Anthony started his career with Denver and was drafted there way back in 2003. He blossomed into a star wearing a Nuggets jersey and went as far as the Western Conference Finals for his most famous playoff stretch ever against Kobe Bryant’s Lakers. Unfortunately, that’s as far as those Nuggets ever got. They were never able to get over the hump with Caremlo and it was widely reported at the time that he was dead-set on becoming a Knick as soon as possible.
It’s strange that only now, after all this time, Carmelo is challenging those claims and fans have been less than easy to accept his new version of events, with some going so far as to call Anthony a liar. Whatever the case, there’s no going back on history now and Carmelo will forever be in the same block as other stars like Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis, who forced their way out when things got too tough. What’s worse for Anthony is that his time with the Knicks was arguably even less successful than other stints given his lack of playoff experience with the team.
Did The Carmelo Anthony Trade Ruin The New York Knicks?
To this day, Carmelo’s legacy in Denver is a highly debated topic and it’s not popular with a lot of people there the way he up and left… it looks even worse now that he’s trying to change the story all these years later. Even with the Knicks, Anthony didn’t exactly end on good terms. While there is no doubting Carmelo’s legendary status in New York City, there is no denying that trading for him when they did set their franchise back by years. Had the Knicks waited just a little while longer, they might have been able to sign Melo for free, without having to give up three draft picks and several quality role-players. Instead, they made the trade and proceeded to spend the next several years trying and failing, to build a proper team around their star. In seven seasons with the Knicks, Melo achieved a lot individually as a scorer, leader, and face of the franchise. He’s 8th all-time in scoring at 28,289 points total with a career average of 22.5 per game. But when Anthony was traded again in 2017, it was without more than a couple of playoff series wins under his belt.
For Anthony, his career is among the most confusing in basketball history. When you look at his numbers and his talent with the ball, there is no question he’s one of the best in the game. But his overall impact on winning can be called into question just simply based on what he wasn’t able to do during his NBA career. Despite having multiple opportunities to pick his own destiny, Anthony was never able to find ultimate success and it remains the biggest blemish of his otherwise illustrious career.
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