Report: Carmelo Has Until June 23 To Let Knicks Know If He's Going To Opt Out
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- To opt out or not to opt out.
That is the question.
Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony has until June 23 to let the organization know if he intends to opt out of his deal and become a free agent, according to ESPN.com.
That doesn't leave much time for the 30-year-old forward to make up his mind, unless of course he already knows what he's going to do.
The seven-time All-Star and face of the franchise has one year remaining on his contract.
Phil Jackson is urging Anthony to exercise his $23.3 million player option for the 2014-2015 season in an effort to delay his free agency, the website reported.
The dynamic scorer has made it known that he wants to explore free agency -- and has hinted that he will most likely opt out -- but Jackson and new head coach Derek Fisher appear committed to keeping Melo in Manhattan.
"We're planning on meeting with Carmelo (again) in the near future," Jackson said at Fisher's introductory press conference on Tuesday. "I want to express to him again I want to have him back on the team. We haven't heard one way or another about opt-in or opt-out. If he decides on free agency, he has a right to do that."
Fisher also chimed in about Anthony's future.
"As far as Carmelo is concerned, we obviously believe Carmelo is one of the top players in the NBA and world," Fisher said. "We want him to be here, but ultimately he has the choice. We'll do everything we can possibly do to give him confidence that we can get the job done and put a team together he can feel is a championship team."
The 2013 NBA scoring champion averaged 27.4 points, 3.1 assists and 8.1 rebounds for New York last season.
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