NBA Free Agents 2014: Chris Paul Says New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony Is Not LA Clippers-Bound

The Los Angeles Clippers are rumored to be one of the possible destinations for Carmelo Anthony, but Clippers star point guard Chris Paul believes that his friend Anthony will stay with the New York Knicks.

In an interview with the New York Post published Saturday, Paul, who is said to be the reason why Anthony is considering a move to the Clippers, said that his good friend is leaning towards staying in New York beyond the current season.

"I know he loves it there," Paul said when asked about the impending free agency of Anthony. "His family loves it there. Most of all, he loves to play basketball there. Whatever he does, I'll support him 110 percent."

Knicks center Tyson Chandler echoed Paul's statement, saying that Anthony will stay in New York despite the tumultuous season that they are having so far.

"When times were rough, he went out of his way to make sure that every guy was okay and that everyone understood we're in it together. If we're going to sink or go down, we're going to go down together," Chandler told Basketball Insiders.

Previous rumors indicated that the Clippers could make a strong push to acquire Anthony in the offseason, especially if they don't win the NBA title this season.

The Clippers have no cap space to sign Anthony outright, creating speculation that Los Angeles would offer star forward Blake Griffin in a trade for Anthony.

However, talks about Anthony's decision this summer have cooled down a bit after Anthony insisted that he has yet to make up his mind on what he intends to do in the offseason, but reiterated that staying in New York is his first priority.

Anthony said that he is willing to take a paycut in order to give the Knicks a lot of room to make a run at another superstar.

The 29-year-old forward reiterated his desire to stay with the Knicks, saying that he doesn't want to be traded, but he is hoping that their executives will make the right moves to turn the Knicks into an NBA title contender.

"I don't want to be traded," Anthony said. "I came to New York, I said before I wanted to retire here. I said it, meant it. That's how I feel. I still feel strongly about that. That's why at the end of the season, everything has to be laid out - something that we can grow with and build on."