Carmelo Anthony‘s no-trade clause has been a huge deal for the last six months or so. At first, it was the thing that prevented Phil Jackson from trading Anthony during the standoff between the Knicks’ former boss and the All-Star forward. Now, it’s a thing Anthony is strategically using to have New York narrow its focus on where it trades him — reports indicate that Anthony is only willing to waive it if the Knicks send him to Houston.
But as it turns out, Anthony isn’t the only Knick who boasts a no-trade clause in their contract. If you guessed “Kristaps Porzingis has one,” you’re wrong, even if the Knicks should probably take care of that the second they can.
No, the Knick who shares this honor with Anthony is second-year guard Ron Baker.
“The Knicks Ron Baker has a one-year bird restriction based on the player option for 2018-19,” said ESPN’s Bobby Marks. “Baker technically has a no trade clause and would have to approve of any trade.”
So essentially, this is a fluky thing that happened solely because of Baker’s contract situation. After a rookie campaign where he played in 52 games, the former Wichita State star agreed to a two-year deal worth $9 million with the team this offseason.
Baker will likely never be a superstar or anything, but he has carved out a role as a perfectly solid reserve backcourt player who can initiate the offense and play tough defense in a pinch. Or, you know, the exact kind of dude whose contract includes a no-trade clause.
