Carmelo Anthony made it to the All-Star team despite a horrid season for the Knicks, and he announced this week he'll be doing some recruiting over the weekend.
“It will create some great momentum here in the city just by having All-Star Weekend in New York,” Anthony said. “Energy … will be surrounding the city, starting on Monday, Tuesday, all through the week. And just for me to kind of be that ambassador for the city for the weekend, that means a lot, that I can represent New York here in my hometown. Kind of welcome everybody, Anthony told the New York Post.
He also said that players will get to feel the energy in Madison Square Garden. “The Garden will be lit up, it will be bright, there will be a lot of people in there, it will be loud and it will be exciting. So for other players to see that, I am pretty sure that will be impressive,” he said.
The real question is--who exactly will Anthony be targeting that could realistically join the Knicks for next season? Because some players set to be free agents--such as Marc Gasol, LeBron James, and Tim Duncan--can probably be counted out at this point.
Check out five players who could be lured to the Knicks below.
LaMarcus Aldridge
Aldridge, to many, falls into the same category as Gasol. The 29-year-old Blazers forward has voiced his intention to return to Portland, the only team he’s ever played for.
But the Blazers lost badly to the Spurs in last season’s playoffs, and another poor showing that leads to an exit in the first or second round could lead to concerns for Aldridge, prompting him to join Carmelo in New York.
Aldridge is averaging 23.7 points, 10-3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in his ninth season in the league.
Aldridge, who will be an unrestricted free agent, will command a max contract, meaning the Blazers can offer him more money than other teams. If that scenario played out with the Knicks, the team would be forced to fill out the roster with lower-tier free agents due to a lot of money being committed to Aldridge and Anthony, who signed a max contract last offseason.
