Carmelo Anthony: New York Knicks president leaves out All-Star in team preview

Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Team president Steve Mills wrote a New York Knicks team preview without mentioning 10-time All-Star and 2016 leading scorer Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony, 33, has been involved in trade rumors all offseason. He is due $26.2 million this season and had an option for early termination in 2018, when he is due $27.9 million.

Last season, Anthony posted averages of 22.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

Mills fired off his blog on MSG.com. He mentioned that the Knicks' plan is to "become more youthful."

"It begins with a question," Mills wrote on the blog..

"Before coaches and players are in place, before the whiteboard becomes filled with X's and O's, and before the gym floor comes alive with bodies banging and sneakers screeching, it is important to step back and ask: How can we build a Knicks team that possesses true unity of purpose, a group in which everyone so truly believes in one another that together we can create something unique, something special?"

Mills then mentions Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Willy Hernangomez and Frank Ntilikina.

The other sections of Mills' blog post include the titles: Embracing Team Goals, A Long-Range Vision and At My Post.

The blog also mentions coach Jeff Hornacek and Ron Baker, but offers not even a reference of Anthony.

"He [Ntilikina], Porzingis and Hardaway, along with Hernangómez and Ron Baker, will exemplify a new defensive mindset that puts a premium on making stops," Mills wrote.

"Only from there can a productive offense flow. We will emphasize ball movement, body movement, spacing and screening, while understanding that these changes will be a work in progress. We may not be there at first, but that the brand of ball our players will aspire to fulfill."

"These players, still young, intent on enhancing their games, engaged in a common objective, are already altering the atmosphere surrounding the club."

Anthony has been linked to several teams this summer, including the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers.