League executives are convinced that Carmelo Anthony will sign elsewhere this summer, but the All-Star forward revealed that he is leaning towards staying with the New York Knicks beyond this season.
Anthony, who made it no secret that he will test free agency in the offseason, said that while he is ready to listen to other team's offers, his first priority is to stay in New York.
"I've never been a guy that comes into a situation, when it's not going well, to leave. That's not my personality," Anthony said during an interview in New Orleans on Friday, ESPN reported.
The Knicks have the upper hand against other teams when it comes to signing Anthony because they can offer the biggest contract to the 29-year-old forward - a contract approximately $30-million more than the maximum allowable offer of rival teams.
However, Anthony stressed that money will not be a big factor when he makes a decision in the offseason, saying that winning a championship is still his main goal.
And if taking a huge paycut will be the only way to have a good chance of winning an elusive ring in New York, Anthony said that he is amenable to taking less money.
"Without a doubt," Anthony said when asked about his willingness to take a paycut. "Any opportunity I have to build that up in New York, I'd do it. I told people all the time, always say, If it takes me taking a pay cut, I'll be the first one on [Knicks owner] Mr. [James] Dolan's steps saying take my money and let's build something strong over here."
With Anthony's willingness to take less salary, the Knicks could make a strong push to land another superstar in the summer of 2015.
Previous reports indicated that the Knicks are eyeing Rajon Rondo and Kevin Love, who could become free agents after next season. Anthony said that he plans to attract other superstars to sign in New York.
"I have a chance to attract some people to come to New York," Anthony said. "I think playing in New York -- and everybody saw this last year, how electrified that city was. The organization, the team, how much fun we had as a team when we was playing good basketball. So I want to kind of bring that back to New York."
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