With the New York Knicks still struggling in midseason, Carmelo Anthony trade rumors have continued to emerge as the Feb. 23 trade deadline draws near.

New York is currently 11th in the East with a 20-26 record as the team lost four of their last six matches. Anthony has always produced excellent stats individually, averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 44 games so far this season, but the Knicks just could not find the right players to surround him with to become a winning team.

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Initial reports said that Anthony is unwilling to waive his no-trade clause because he and his family is settled in New York and he wants to win there. However, just recently, the nine-time NBA All-Star may have been changing his mind as he admitted that he would be open to leaving the squad if the team president Phil Jackson thinks that he is no longer needed.

There are rumors that Jackson is planning a full rebuild around super sophomore Kristaps Porzingis and trading Anthony before the deadline or in the offseason would be the first step. Jackson is said to be using "mind games" to "passive-aggressively convince Anthony to want out of New York and waive his no-trade clause", according to NJ Advance Media's Joe Giglio.

With Anthony slowly being persuaded to do just that, a number of teams have been linked to the former NBA scoring champion and one of the latest to emerge is the Miami Heat. Palm Beach Post suggested that trading for Anthony could be an option for Miami as the Heat is also on its way to rebuilding at the end of the season.

With all of its former Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh now all gone, the team is left without a superstar for the first time in years. It resulted in the team settling in the second to the last place in the East standings with a 15-30 slate.

Heat president Pat Riley is known to lure big-name free agents to his side if they are available. Anthony is certainly a big name and if Riley thinks that he could be a good compliment for Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside, then he may pursue him before the trade deadline next month.

TagsNBA Trade Rumors, NBA Trade Rumors 2017, carmelo anthony, new york knicks, Miami Heat