New York Knicks plan to sign Carmelo Anthony in off-season

The New York Knicks released a statement over the weekend showing interest in signing Carmelo Anthony during the off-season, when his contract with Portland Trail Blazers expires.
Anthony started playing for Portland in November on a non-guaranteed deal for one season.

Portland was happy with Anthony's contribution to the team and guaranteed his contract until the end of the season. They are currently in 11th place and fighting hard to get the 8th playoff spot in the Western Conference, competing against five other teams.

The Knicks are having another bad year, currently ranked 14th in the Eastern Conference. They had a couple of management shake ups this year, including replacing their head coach and president. According to RealGM, Leon Rose could officially start as the new Knicks president as early as Monday.

Leon Rose is a prominent player agent and represents Anthony. He has been Anthony's agent since 2009. According to the New York Times, Anthony verbally agreed to take the Knicks' offer, but nothing official has been made at this time. Rose's predecessor, Steve Mills, was "reassigned" to another role within the Madison Square Garden Company on February 4.

Anthony played for the New York Knicks before, in a deal facilitated by Rose. He holds the New York Knicks single-game franchise record score at 62. He was the NBA scoring champion in the 2012-2013 season while playing for them. Anthony played for seven seasons for the Knicks from 2010 to 2017, before he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder at his request.

It's very likely that Portland will make a counter-offer before the season ends to have Anthony extend his stay with them. The almost 36-year old Anthony is doing well for Portland, averaging 17 points and 7.1 rebounds for them this year. It's not the superstar numbers that Anthony used to put in for Denver and New York, but it's good enough for a veteran role-player. He is still shooting a decent 44.6% in the field, making him an efficient player even at his age.