Carmelo Anthony recently revealed he turned down an offer from the New York Knicks before retiring from the NBA.
On May 22, 2023, Anthony announced his retirement after a distinguished career as a 10-time NBA All-Star.
The Knicks extended an offer to Anthony, but he decided against it, preferring to retire instead.
Anthony disclosed his decision during a recent interview on 7PM in Brooklyn. He explained that the Knicks offered him a role with a veteran minimum salary, which he found unacceptable.
“If you do numbers and you put those numbers up against people that were in my role at that time, there’s no way that you could tell me to take a vet minimum,” Anthony said, via HoopsHype.
He expressed frustration over being undervalued despite his productivity. “It’s hard to take a vet minimum when it’s like, damn, what am I—like, I’m just here.”
Anthony noted that the Knicks needed perimeter shooting and experienced veterans. “At that time, if you look at that roster, exactly what the Knicks needed was perimeter shooting at a high percentage.”
He contrasted his potential impact with the role of Taj Gibson, who had a sporadic playing schedule. “Taj [Gibson] is cool with not playing 10 games, coming back and playing the 17th game. Hell no, that’s not—I can’t do that.”
Anthony had planned to return to New York to finish his career. “My goal was to always make it back here to finish it out,” he explained.
Ultimately, he decided to retire rather than accept a reduced role. “The not knowing of when you’re going to play and not play—I’d rather not go through that,” he said.
He reflected on his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers and chose to exit his career on his terms. “I just had a hell of a year, you know what I mean, in LA in my role. Basketball ain’t the issue. I can’t do that. That’s a hell of a decline.”
Despite the offer from his former team, Anthony chose to retire rather than accept a reduced role. “No disrespect, but I can’t accept that,” he concluded.