Carmelo Anthony has already exercised his option to opt out the final year of his contract with the New York Knicks and intends to explore the free agency market this summer. This means that teams will be piling up to make their pitches to the all-star forward who is clearly one of the most coveted names in the 2014 NBA free agency. But which team will Anthony sign in the end? Their are several factors that come into play.
First is the contender status of the team. Anthony has already made it known that he wants to sign with a franchise that has a real chance of competing for an NBA title. The Chicago Bulls have risen as the front runners with one of the best coaches in Tom Thibodeau and a pair of all-stars in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. They also have the competitive edge that has intrigued the Knicks Star for quite some time now. Houston also has Harden and Howard while Dallas has a legend in Dirk, a proven coach in Carlisle, one of the best owners in Mark Cuban, and a huge salary cap room that will help them add key free agents this off-season.
But aside from the chance of winning an NBA title, Anthony also considers how his decision in free agency will impact his family.
"The average person just sees opportunity to say that, 'Oh, Melo should go here, Melo should go there. I think he should do this, I think he should do that.' But they don't take into consideration the family aspect of it. Your livelihood. Where you're going to be living at. Do you want your kids to grow up in that place? In that city? Do I want to spend the rest of my career in that situation in that city? So all of that stuff comes into play," Anthony said in an interview with Vice Sports that was taped on June 3.
Anthony's family have been settled in New York for quite some time now. His kid goes to school in New York and loves the city. If Anthony will decide to change locations this summer, it would mean sacrificing his family's happiness. This is something that he will surely consider as he explores the free-agency market. If he ultimately puts his family first above his career and legacy, then we may be seeing him staying with the Knicks this season after all.
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