Carmelo Anthony won’t tip his hand about his future as he comes to terms with his recent past.
The Atlanta Hawks forward reflected on his brief tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday in an interview with ESPN’s Jemele Hill. Anthony, whom OKC traded to Atlanta in a three-team deal involving the Philadelphia 76ers, said timing prevented him from creating something special in his one season playing with fellow Thunder stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
“At the end of the day, it wasn’t a good fit,” Anthony said. “I think last year — and I haven’t talked about this before — everything was just so rushed, going to the team for media day and the day before training camp. Them guys already had something in place, and then I come along in the 25th hour like, oh s—, Melo just come on and join us. Like, you can figure it out since you’ve been around the game for a long time. That’s why it was so inconsistent. At times, I had to figure it out on my own rather than somebody over there or people over there helping me.”
The Thunder had high hopes for last season but ultimately finished 48-34 and fourth place in the Western Conference. They then fell to the Utah Jazz in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Anthony averaged 16.2 points (a career low), 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists (also a career low) per game in what most will remember as a failed attempt to form a superteam.
Multiple reports claim Anthony will join the Houston Rockets as a free agent after the Hawks buy out the final year of his $27.9 million contract, but the 10-time All-Star insists he hasn’t decided his next move.
“Obviously, we’re just trying to figure it out,” Anthony said. “Everybody knows about the trade to Atlanta. I think everything is trying to get cleared right now. I’ll let the people do what they do. I just sit back and when the time comes, and the call gets made, we’ll make that move.”
Winning will be foremost among Anthony’s goals in his next NBA adventure and beyond.
“I think winning, at the end of the day, rewrites everything,” he said. “It settles everything. I also look back at this past year. When we were winning, the story was written already. When we started losing, the story is written. It’s almost premeditated. I’m playing ball. I’m happy. I’m excited about what’s to come, wherever that may be.”
