When Tim Hardaway Jr. was traded two years ago on draft night for the rights to Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant, Carmelo Anthony was ticked, according to sources.
It felt like a step back for a franchise he thought was trying to win at the time. Hardaway and Anthony had become close after being teammates for two seasons.
Now, Hardaway officially is back in the organization — the Hawks declined to match the Knicks’ four-year, $71 million offer sheet Saturday — and Anthony, ironically, likely is on the way out. The Knicks are undergoing a youth movement under acting president Steve Mills, which doesn’t include the 33-year-old.