Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony has informed the team that he's opted into his $27.9 million deal for next season instead of using his early termination option, league sources told Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
It was reported yesterday that the 34-year-old Anthony had no intention of leaving the fifth year of his contract on the table.
With the free-agent market expected to be oversaturated, and Anthony coming off his worst NBA season - having averaged 16.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in 78 games as the Thunder's third option - it was generally assumed he'd remain under contract.
The 10-time All-Star's struggles continued in the postseason, where he was unplayable at times against the Utah Jazz, averaging 11.8 points per game on 37.5 percent shooting in a series OKC that lost in six.
Should the Thunder look to re-sign Paul George, whose expected market value will be near-max money, Anthony's decision could make it financially difficult for the Thunder to continue adding meaningful pieces to complement the team's big three.