The clock is winding down and Carmelo Anthony is expected to opt-out of his contract with the New York Knicks and become an unrestricted free agent.  There’s a chance he could leave the Knicks and possibly join the Houston Rockets or the Chicago Bulls.  The Bulls are the reported frontrunners  but the only issue is they would need to clear some salaries in order to create cap space to sign Anthony to a max contract.  Another option is they can complete a sign-and-trade with the Knicks once Anthony definitively decides he wants to leave.  The deal would almost certainly involve Carlos Boozer who hasn’t exactly worked out like the Bulls hoped and the Knicks reported aren’t willing to take on that problem.

via Chicago Tribune:

League sources continue to indicate that despite Boozer’s expiring $16.8 million deal dovetailing with the Knicks’ plan for massive salary-cap space in 2015, the Knicks have no interest in acquiring Boozer as of now.

Thus, the Bulls might have to sign Anthony, whom everyone from coach Tom Thibodeau to Rose is on board with adding, via outright salary-cap space. Using the amnesty provision on Boozer only nets them roughly $11 million of space, depending on where the cap is set July 1. The Bulls would have to sell off other pieces for nothing in return to create more cap space and would prefer obviously to keep Taj Gibson. So would Anthony should he land with the Bulls.

Boozer averaged 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game for the Bulls last season. His contract is ridiculous but the Knicks are strapped until 2015 anyway which is when Boozer’s deal would clear.

But the Knicks plan to try to convince Anthony to stay, and with Phil Jackson now in place and the team having the advantage of being able to offer an extra year and around $30 million to entice him, it’s still very possible that Anthony re-ups in New York.

– Shaina Auxilly (@Shay_Marie)