Carmelo Anthony Pens Letter To New York After Trade To Thunder

The New York Knicks announced on Monday that they have traded ten-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder for center Enes Kanter, forward Doug McDermott and the Chicago Bulls’ 2018 second-round draft pick.

Carmelo Anthony Trade News

The 33-year-old forward — who had been with the Knicks since 2011 — wrote a heartfelt letter thanking New York, the Knicks and the franchise’s fans and posted it on his website, thisismelo.com.

“New York equipped me to make it in any other place in the world,” Anthony wrote in the letter. “It taught me how to Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable.  Saying Goodbye is the hardest thing to do.  I never thought I would, especially to you.  No one will ever take your place. It’s hard to find someone like you, so know you will always be missed. You helped me laugh. You dried my tears.  Because of you, I have no fears.  You came into my life and I was blessed.  It’s time to raise my hand and say goodbye.  It’s not the end, because like I’ve always said, NYC ‘til the end.”

“Thank you to All My Fans who supported me through Thick and Thin,” he continued. “And those who continued to support The Knicks regardless of the outcome. Thank You to Jim Dolan and the Knicks organization and all the hardworking people that don’t get the credit they deserve. And most importantly, Thank you to the City of New York for allowing me to represent OUR city.”

Anthony had expressed a desire to be traded to the Houston Rockets, although evidently the Knicks saw no benefit in this deal. Monday was Media Day for several NFL teams.

Anthony averaged 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and a steal per game in his seven seasons with the Knicks. He led the team to the playoffs three times, although the last time the squad reached the postseason was in 2012-2013.

According to several reports, Anthony’s relationship with the team began to suffer last season, as former president Phil Jackson publicly lobbied for Anthony to waive his no-trade clause to be traded, presumably in order to focus on developing the team’s younger starts like Kristaps Porzingis. 

Anthony will now join fellow All-Stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George in Oklahoma City.

Knicks general manager Scott Perry said the Knicks now hope to build the team around Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Willy Hernangomez, 2017 French first-round pick Frank Ntilikina and guard Ron Baker. 

“We acquired two 25-year-old players in this deal that we can develop, while sticking with our overall strategy of emphasizing youth and athleticism. With this trade, we have added scoring and aggressiveness to our frontcourt, and bolstered the team’s perimeter shooting,” said Perry. “We are glad to have finalized a trade that made sense for all of us.”

Anthony finished his tenure with the Knicks as the team’s seventh all-time leading scorer with 10,186 points and No. 3 on the franchise’s scoring average list at 24.7 points per game.

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 17: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball against the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center on November 17, 2016 in Washington, DC.