Finally, Carmelo Anthony Disclosed Why He Refused to Join the Heat in 2011.
At the height of the Big 3 era with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony finally set the record right by explaining why he declined to sign with the Miami Heat. He claimed he wasn’t mentally ready to be the team’s fourth option. In a July 22 podcast interview with Paul George, Anthony revealed that, several years prior to the events that drastically altered the 2010 NBA free agency landscape, he had discussed joining forces with fellow stars James and Wade on the same team. However, he acknowledged he was unsure of which team they would ultimately end up on.
Melo-Bron Tandem in Chicago or New York Anthony continued by saying that because the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks are two major market teams, they were considering these two clubs as potential partners. But when Anthony agreed to a five-year rookie contract extension with the Denver Nuggets rather than the three-year contracts that his fellow 2003 Draft classmates received, he removed himself from consideration for the Super Team plans. Three years later, James, Wade, and LeBron would enter the free-agency market, setting the stage for their widely reported joining of the Heat.
Anthony expressed his admiration for his teammates’ willingness to make a substantial wage sacrifice so that the Heat could hire them at that particular time. To join the same team, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh consented to contracts that were just below the maximum wage, ranging from $14 million to $16 million.
Melo Recognizes That She Wasn’t Business Savvy at the Time The former All-Star acknowledged that he lacked the economic acumen to believe that a significant free-agency move would ever be feasible. He also stated that he wasn’t prepared to give up his position with the Nuggets, who were consistently in the playoffs at the time, or the millions of money that were on the line. Anthony said on the program, “So at the time of the collective bargaining agreement, I didn’t understand contracts in three years or five years.” “I had some knowledge, but not enough business acumen to fully comprehend the impending events.” Given my circumstances—I was in Denver and didn’t want to go—why sign a three-year contract?
Anthony Didn’t Want to Be the Heat’s Fourth Option The former scoring champion also disclosed a private explanation for his inability to picture himself alongside LeBron, Wade, and Bost during their prime. “At the time, I was building my own [expletive] in Denver, so I wasn’t ready to go partner and team up with nobody.”
Would you like me to quit my current position as the team’s leader and become the fourth option when I am twenty-three or twenty-four years old, trying to make my way in this league? I’m not sure how I was going to prepare myself mentally for it. In the end, Anthony signed a multi-player, three-team contract with the Knicks in February 2011. Before concluding his career as a member of the Hall of Fame with the Lakers in 2022, he had spent seven seasons as the Knicks’ franchise player and had also played for five other clubs.
Throughout his 19 NBA seasons, Anthony averaged 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. He was a member of six All-NBA teams, 10 All-Star teams, and one scoring champion squad in 2013.