Carmelo Anthony Says Knicks Are Right to Pause Contract Talks to Focus on the Season

Carmelo Anthony says the New York Knicks made the right call by halting contract talks with some of their players to focus solely on basketball. The Knicks paused extension discussions with Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart last week, saying they would wait until later in the season and devote their full attention to defending their NBA championship.

Anthony, a Knicks All-Star during his Hall of Fame career, said Monday that he wasn’t alarmed by the news from a team that should be enjoying a happy stretch. He framed the move as a reality of the modern game.

“I think it’s happier times, I just think things just move so fast now that you get a chance to celebrate the championship, then it’s business as usual, right? Business has got to go on,” Anthony said.

Talks Stall With Towns and Hart

Towns is eligible for a four-year, $276 million extension. He is set to earn $57 million this season and holds a $61.1 million player option for 2027-28. Towns has grown frustrated with the pace of negotiations after earning All-Star honors in both of his seasons since arriving in New York. He told reporters that the Knicks’ Friday statement that they were cutting off talks “was news to me.”

Hart will make $21 million this season, and the Knicks hold an option on him for 2027-28 at $22.4 million. Hart said he wasn’t frustrated, but he had previously warned what the lack of progress could mean for players at the trade deadline in February if talks didn’t advance.

A Focus on the Title Defense

Anthony has a personal connection to the front office. Leon Rose, now the Knicks president, represented him when Anthony was traded to New York in 2011. Anthony attended many of the team’s games during its title run, and he believes both sides can resolve the situation respectfully.

“But whatever’s going to happen is going to happen,” Anthony said. “But right now, let the be all, be the be all, which is basketball. Let’s go defend this championship. And I think both parties understand.”