Carmelo Anthony believes the New York Knicks made the right call by halting contract negotiations with some of their players so they can focus solely on basketball.
With Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart eligible for extensions and talks going nowhere, the Knicks said last week that they were pausing discussions until later in the season and would devote their full attention to defending their NBA championship. Anthony, an All-Star for the Knicks during his Hall of Fame career, said Monday that he was not alarmed by what he was hearing from a team that should be enjoying happy times.
“I think it’s happier times, I just think things just move so fast now that you get a chance to celebrate the championship, then it’s business as usual, right? Business has got to go on,” Anthony said.
He added: “I think it was big for them to stop the conversations, and just, we’ll get to that. We’ll get to that at the end of the season.”
Contract Details
Towns is eligible for a four-year, $276 million deal. He is set to make $57 million this season and holds a $61.1 million player option for 2027-28. Despite being an All-Star in both seasons since arriving in New York, Towns has been disappointed with the progress of talks. He told reporters that the Knicks’ statement Friday about cutting off negotiations “was news to me.”
Hart will make $21 million this season, and the Knicks hold an option for 2027-28 at $22.4 million. Hart said he is not frustrated, but he had previously noted what the situation could mean for players at the trade deadline in February if contract talks did not move forward.
A Familiar Connection
Anthony spoke at the NBC Sports studios, where he is preparing for his second season as an analyst for the network’s “NBA Showtime” studio show. He has a unique perspective on the Knicks’ front office. Anthony was represented by Leon Rose, now the Knicks president, when he was traded to New York in 2011. Anthony was also a frequent spectator during the team’s title run, and he believes the players and management will be able to work things out respectfully.
“But whatever’s going to happen is going to happen,” Anthony said. “But right now, let the be all, be the be all, which is basketball. Let’s go defend this championship. And I think both parties understand.”