Carmelo Anthony Trade Will be $30 Million Less in Salary Than Staying with Knicks

Carmelo Anthony wants an NBA championship ring so bad that he is willing to give up a huge lump of his salary just to play alongside a better roster.

Since the end of the NBA regular season, "Melo" has expressed that he wanted to play with a team that aims to win overall. Plenty of NBA teams have been eyeing on the scoring machine such as the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat. Previously, he shared that he wanted to play with Dwight Howard and LeBron James. However, the New York Knicks, his current team, is still in a prime position to offer the All-Star an extension of his contract.

In a report by Sports Illustrated, the small forward earned over $130 million in salary and several millions more from endorsement throughout the course of his 11-year stint in the league. He is still one of the most bankable players in the NBA and is bound to enter free agency on July 1, 2014.

The New York Knicks are allowed under the collective bargaining agreement of the league to re-sign qualifying players for one more year at a bigger salary than what they would have earned if they signed with another NBA time. The Larry Bird rights expressed the terms and conditions of such extension. To qualify for Larry Bird rights, the player has to be on the team's roster for three seasons minimum, among other qualifications. Melo is qualified for the Bird rights.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Anthony has been with the Knicks since 2011. If he opts to extend with the Knicks for five years, he is set to finalize a contract worth $129.1 million. Other teams can sign him for four years for a deal valued at $95.9 million, over $30 million less. This would probably be Melo's final premium contract considering that he would be around 34 or 35 years old by the time he enters free agency again.

The Miami Heat shared that they have plans to sign Carmelo Anthony, says SB Nation. However, superstar LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh do not seem to be interested in lowering their annual salaries. Similar to Anthony, James said that he would consider a lower salary if the Heat improved its roster and signed better talent.

The Larry Bird rights is also intended to put a limit on the availability of stars in the free agent market. The bottom line is, if players wish to play for another team, they will generally earn less.