The New York Knicks are putting trade talks involving Carmelo Anthony on hold in order to try to convince him to stay with the team, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.
The news is the latest twist in the Gotham-Melo drama that has swirled around the Knicks and their estranged franchise player for most of this calendar year.
New York had been working with the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers - two teams Anthony would reportedly waive his no-trade clause for - on potential trades for the better part of the last month, according to Wojnarowski and Shelburne.
The Knicks reportedly agreed to hire Sacramento Kings VP Scott Perry as their new general manager on Thursday evening, something that could be related to the organization's apparent change of heart regarding Anthony. Deposed Knicks president Phil Jackson openly spent his last six months on the job urging Anthony to consider a ticket out of town, adding to the toxic environment around the franchise this past season.
Reports as recently as Wednesday indicated that the Knicks and Rockets were working on an Anthony trade that could have involved up to two other teams in order to make salaries work.
Related: Rockets face handful of risks in attempt to reunite Melo, D'Antoni
The Rockets - by virtue of Anthony's friendship with Chris Paul, reported recruiting efforts by James Harden, and Houston's status as a large market - appeared to be a logical frontrunner over Cleveland. While Anthony is also close with LeBron James, the sheer logistics of the Cavs making a deal would be extremely difficult if they are not willing to part with players like Kevin Love or Tristan Thompson.
