Carmelo Anthony refuses to waive no-trade clause, tired of 'drama' with New York Knicks

New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony is "tired" of hearing the chatter surrounding his future with the franchise and has no intention to be traded out of the Big Apple, the All-Star forward said on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Knicks president Phil Jackson met with Anthony and asked the former scoring champion if he would like to remain in New York, sources close to the organisation told ESPN. Since Anthony has a no-trade clause on his five-year, $US124 million ($AU165 million) contract that runs through the 2018-19 season, the Knicks can't move him without prior consent, not to mention the team of his choosing.

When the report of Jackson's willingness to trade Anthony surfaced, the Knicks star sounded perturbed with the situation. "If that's the case, if that's where it's coming from, that side, I guess it's a conversation we should have. If they feel my time in New York is over, I guess that's a conversation we should have."

On Wednesday, Anthony shed light on the nature of his meeting with Jackson which took place in New York a day before. "The conversation (with Jackson) wasn't that long. We didn't break bread. We didn't have an hour's conversation. It was a short conversation," the former No. 3 overall pick told reporters, via ESPN, ahead of New Yorks's shoot around in Boston.

Carmelo Anthony trade: Clippers and Cavaliers reportedly the possible destinations

As reported earlier, long time Knicks media member Charley Rosen, a close confidant of Jackson, revealed that Anthony "accept being dealt to the Cavaliers or the Clippers". In the scathing report, Rosen wrote that the Knicks and Anthony would be better off parting ways since the franchise intends to build around rising superstar Kristaps Porzingis. While Anthony has willingly taken a lesser role this season, many analysts feel New York needs to hit the reset button and move on from the aging star.

Anthony, while responding to the constant trade chatter, explained why he insisted on a no-trade clause while signing a contract extension in 2014. "I think, as players, you always want to protect yourself. I didn't think it would get to this point. I think, as a player, if you can get (a no-trade clause), you have a right to protect yourself and take care of yourself when it comes to that. It's very hard to get, very difficult to get. I have it, and that's that.

"I'm committed (to staying in New York). I don't have to prove that to anybody. I don't think I have to keep saying that. I don't think I have to keep talking about that. I know for a fact that people see that," concluded Anthony, who is averaging 22.1 points, 3.1 assists and 6.0 rebounds this season.

Carmelo Anthony is signed through until the 2018-19 season but has an opt out clause at the end of the 2017-18 season. In other words, the team that trades for him will be assured of his services for at least another full season. Since Anthony is entering the final stage of his career, its likely that he will opt into the final year of his deal simply because general managers would hesitate to overpay the 9-time All-Star.