Carmelo Anthony believes the New York Knicks made the right decision in 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 but talks going nowhere, the Knicks said last week they were pausing discussions until later in the season. They will devote their attention entirely to defending their NBA championship.
Anthony, an All-Star for the Knicks during his Hall of Fame career, said on 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.
“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.”
Anthony spoke at the NBC Sports studios, where he is preparing for his second season as an analyst on the network’s “NBA Showtime” studio show.
Towns and Hart contract situations
Towns is eligible for a four-year, $276 million deal. He is due to make $57 million this season and holds a $61.1 million player option for 2027-28.
Towns has been disappointed in the progress of talks, despite being an All-Star in both seasons since joining New York. He told reporters that the Knicks’ statement on Friday, announcing they were 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. He said he was not frustrated, but he had previously noted what it could mean for players at the trade deadline in February if there was no progress on contract talks.
Anthony expects a respectful resolution
Anthony was represented by Leon Rose, who is now the Knicks president, when he was traded to New York in 2011. A frequent spectator during the team’s title run, Anthony says 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.”