Carmelo Anthony To Opt Out, Says Report, But Will He Leave The Knicks And More Than $30M?

Multiple reports are saying New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony, 30, will opt out of his contract on Monday and will become a free agent on July 1.

Anthony had until Monday to decide if he wanted to use his early termination clause in his contract but multiple reports on Sunday say he will enter free agency. New York Daily News' Frank Isola and Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed 'Melo will opt out of the 2014-2015 season of his current contract with the Knicks. Following Anthony's official announcement on Monday, he will become the best free agent available but that does not mean he will leave the Knicks and be in another uniform next year.

According to Wojnarowski, only the Knicks can give Anthony a max contract for five years and more than $125 million. If he chooses to leave New York and join another team, Anthony would give up more than $30 million in salary. In 2013, Dwight Howard chose to play for the Houston Rockets instead of the Los Angeles Lakers and gave up more than $30 million to do so, notes Bleacher Report. If Melo does not want to play for Derek Fisher or does not believe the Knicks will be contenders he will have his fair share of suitors. Melo could head to Houston, which features Howard, former Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin and James Harden, or the Chicago Bulls, which feature Derek Rose and coach Tom Thibodeau.