Knicks Rumors: Carmelo Anthony contract update, taking less than the max?
In today's Knicks rumors and news update, the New York Knicks are very close to re-signing free agent Carmelo Anthony on a five-year deal - the financials of which could be less than that of a full max contract.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, "Anthony might still take less than the maximum $129 million the Knicks can give him, a source said."
Wojnarowski is terming the deal as five years and $120 million-plus, which means that the contract will likely be less than $10 million away from the full max. While this won't give the Knicks any flexibility this year due to being over the salary cap, it could add some leeway for 2015 when the team is expected to have $20 million or so in space to play with.
With Anthony now reportedly taken care of, the New York Knicks and new president of basketball operations Phil Jackson can commence with their plan for the 2015 and 2016 free agency periods - using Melo as an attractive recruiting tool when attempting to lure in top-tier free agents.
While the Knicks are up against the salary cap at the present moment, expiring contracts such as those for Andrea Bargnani and Amar'e Stoudemire could lead to New York making a big splash in the free marketplace as soon as the summer of 2015.
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