There is still the common notion that Carmelo Anthony will eventually be available as the season progresses.
Fans of other teams lacking a scoring superstar have had their eyes locked in on any Knicks failure or turmoil that can trigger Melo to fall into the "disgruntled" category.
Despite numerous denials, including a recent statement by Melo that he's a "Knick for life" numerous observers are skeptical, including NBA.com's Steve Aschburner who was asked on whether he believed Melo's declaration.
"Believe him? Today yes, tomorrow not so much. Four more years is an eternity, especially for an aging drama king who is out of sync with New York's current rebuilding initiative. His and the Knicks' arrows are trending in opposite directions and, at some point, it isn't going to be pretty."
If ever a trade is considered, one definite aspirant would be the Charlotte Hornets as suggested by North Carolina sports site Old North Banter.
The trade proposal involved Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams whose combined salaries (13.8 and 7 million respectively) would match Carmelo's 22.4 in a trade. Williams is an expiring contract and Batum could take Anthony's role with the Knicks. He is also teammates with Knicks acquisitions Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo with Portland.
There are good reasons why Melo should consider waiving his no-trade clause for Michael Jordan's team. That could be one of the reasons-Jordan is his "shoe boss" as Anthony is a Jordan Brand endorser.
Another reason is that Charlotte could be a good fit with Al Jefferson as they would draw defenses from each other.
ONB admitted that it's a pipe dream, especially on Charlotte's part as Melo really likes the New York lifestyle. But if one considers that the primary conversation between the two teams would be between Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan, there could be some intrigue.