3 career moves that cost Carmelo Anthony a Championship ring

Carmelo Anthony is a 10-time All-Star, who is rightfully regarded by many as one of the best scorers in NBA history.

Anthony was chosen by the Denver Nuggets as the third overall pick of the famed 2003 NBA draft, after playing just one year of college basketball for Syracuse. The forward averaged 21 points during his rookie season, and the Nuggets never failed to reach the playoffs while Anthony was leading the team.

By 2011, Melo had outgrown the Nuggets franchise, and he decided to make a blockbuster move to the New York Knicks. While his time in New York didn't result in an NBA Championship, Melo remained a perennial All-Star, and he managed to win his first scoring title in 2013.

Since leaving the Knicks, the 34-year-old has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and most recently, the Houston Rockets, although he is now without a team. Over his glittering career, Anthony has averaged 24 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists, but despite his individual brilliance, Melo has still never won an NBA Championship.

Here is a look at three career moves that have cost Anthony the chance to win a ring.

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#3 Houston Rockets - 2017

Anthony joined the Rockets a year too late

Carmelo Anthony finally joined the Houston Rockets in the summer of 2018, after a buyout was agreed between the player and the Atlanta Hawks. This came after the Thunder had traded away the player after just one season, as OKC needed to cut their wage bill following the extension of Paul George's contract.

Anthony's stint in Houston lasted only 10 games, although it could have been very different if Melo had joined the team 12 months earlier.

Back in the summer of 2017, he was still appreciated as a player who was excellent offensively, and the Rockets wouldn't have been as quick to pull the plug on his time in Houston. Melo would also have been joining a team that came within one game of ending the Warriors' recent dominance.

Despite this, the 34-year-old was not willing to wait for the Rockets to finalize a trade with the Knicks, and instead opted to join the Thunder.

#2 Miami Heat - 2010

Melo in action for the New York Knicks against the Miami Heat

The 2003 NBA draft will go down as one of the best in history. The class of 2003 contained the superstar quartet of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, whilst also providing All-Stars such as Chris Karman and David West.

The trio of Wade, Bosh and James all famously teamed up in Miami to form a super team back in 2010, although Anthony also had an opportunity to join the team that won two NBA Championships in four years.

Melo's inability to join the Heat in 2010 was a result of his poor decision four years earlier. In 2006, the members of the 2003 NBA Draft class were all up for extensions, and LeBron urged each member to sign a four-year deal.

Despite this, Anthony opted to sign a five-year deal, and this meant that the Heat couldn't afford to sign him in 2010.

#1 Chicago Bulls - 2014

Chicago Bulls v New York Knicks

In the summer of 2014, Carmelo Anthony's time with the Knicks looked as though it was over. The 30-year-old was coming off a fantastic individual season in which he averaged 27.4 points and a career-high 8.1 rebounds per game, but the Knicks failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in three years.

Anthony himself was ready to move on to a new challenge, and he had a strong preference to join a Chicago Bulls team that many believed were one superstar away from a title. But despite the Bulls organization offering Anthony a contract, the All-Star instead opted to stay in New York, and eventually signed a five-year, $124 million contract with the Knicks.

It was a decision motivated by money, as the Bulls could only offer him around half that figure. After signing the extension in New York, Anthony never reached the playoffs with the Knicks again, whereas he would have had a real shot at winning a ring with Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose in Chicago.