New York Knicks

Why Carmelo Anthony probably won't waive his no-trade clause this year

Published Aug. 26, 2015 2:00 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Knicks are coming off a 17-win season, and because of that, people are wondering if Carmelo Anthony's days in New York are numbered.

Wouldn't you want out of an organization that is constantly losing and hasn't shown much promise for the future? Wouldn't you be upset with the fact that you were constantly being blamed for losses, even if they weren't actually your fault? Wouldn't you want to—somehow—find a way out of this miserable situation?

Maybe you wouldn't, as Dan Feldman postulates over at NBC Sports. Anthony has a no-trade clause in his contract, which can be a very nice thing for any player to find in writing, but the existence of it doesn't necessarily give him incentive to waive it.

Not getting what I mean? Here's more from Feldman:

Of course, Feldman isn't writing Anthony won't ever leave New York. Quite the contrary. He just may not want to be out this year, since his trade kicker becomes more valuable in 2016-17 or 2017-18.

So, if you're Melo, you give the Knicks one more chance in the upcoming season and then send yourself out of town at the end of the year, presumably coming off another non-playoff season, so New York can still get back loads of value with three years left on your deal.

(h/t NBC Sports)

Anthony will get a bonus if he’s traded, and that bonus would be larger if he’s traded in 2016-17 or 2017-18 rather than this season. Anthony also has a no-trade clause, giving him final say in if and when he’s dealt.

Those circumstances – perhaps more than anything else – make it likely the star forward will remain with the Knicks this season.

Anthony’s contract contains a 15% trade kicker, which means if traded, he gets a bonus of 15% of the contract’s remaining value (including the season following his early termination option) from the Knicks. That bonus is allocated across the remaining years of his contract before the early termination option proportionate to the percentage of his salary that’s guarantee. Because Anthony’s deal is fully guaranteed, the trade bonus is allocated equally to each season.

But there’s the major catch: Anthony’s compensation – salary plus trade bonus – in the season of the trade can’t exceed his max salary as defined by years of service or 105% his previous salary, whichever is greater.

That’s why trade bonuses for max players have mattered only minimally. There just isn’t much room under the limit for their compensation to increase.