Carmelo Anthony Says He’s Not Interested In A Bench Role Next Season If He Stays With OKC Thunder

During his exit interview on Saturday, #CarmeloAnthony explained that he is uncertain of his future with #OKC. He says for certain that if he returns to the team next season, he will not be on the bench. “Yeah, I’m not sacrificing no bench role,” Anthony told reporters. “That’s out of the question.”

He continued, “I think for me, my focus would be on kind of figuring out what I want out of the rest of my career, what I want in my future, what am I willing to accept, if I’m willing to accept that at all.”

Anthony doesn’t seem to be impressed with the way this season went despite everything he says he sacrificed to try and make it work. “I think everybody knows that I’ve sacrificed kind of damned near everything, family, moving here by myself, sacrificed my game for the sake of the team, and was willing to sacrifice anything and everything in order for this situation to work out,” he said.

“So it’s something I really have to think about, if I really want to be this type of player, finish out my career as this type of player, knowing that I have so much left in the tank and I bring so much to the game of basketball.”

According to @NBA, “Anthony holds a 2018-19 player option for nearly $28 million, the last year of a deal he signed with New York in 2014.” He can opt out with an early termination clause, but his love for basketball ultimately outweighs any uncertainty he has moving forward.

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Source: http://www.nba.com/article/2018/04/28/oklahoma-city-thunder-carmelo-anthony-not-interested-bench-role