After rumors spread that Carmelo Anthony will leave the New York Knicks soon, news items saying that free agent Marc Gasol is being eyed by the team to replace Anthony have also surfaced.

The possible Anthony trade, according to Sports World Report, will lead the team to potentially acquire free agents like Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rajon Rondo and Greg Monroe.

It was noted by many reports that the Knicks is currently struggling this season with their performance in the NBA. This has led to rumors that Anthony is now willing to waive his no-trade clause if his team decides to trade him.

Anthony has earlier denied these reports, saying that he is not a person who will run from any adversity.

"I'm not going to pick today to do that. If we were winning, we wouldn't be sitting here talking about a story out there that says I want a trade,'' Anthony said as quoted by a CBS Sports article.

Sports World Report noted that the alleged rift between Anthony and Tim Hardaway Jr. last week sparked rumors of the former's transfer to another team. It added that Hardaway blasted Anthony for "selfish basketball" and not enough defense which also received a negative reaction from his teammate who challenged him to a fight though reportedly, it never happened.

An earlier New York Post report said that the Knicks is looking to add a "max-like player", with Gasol fitting the description and another "mid-level" sidekick.

"We would like to get two good players that could possibly come in and bring some youth and some strength to us," Knicks president Phil Jackson told the New York Post.

Knicks point guard and fellow Spanish basketball player Jose Calderon is said to be a big factor in taking Gasol to the team.

"[Gasol's] a great friend. He's a great player, been playing with him for a while now. Ask anyone in the league, they'd want to play with him. Hopefully we'll see what happens, but you always want to play with one of the best players at his spot. He's proved that the last few years,'' Calderon told the New York Post.

He added that a player like Gasol, who considered one of the best in the league, is someone that many players would want to play with. "It's real exciting to be able to start playing with him, to have that kind of player on the team."

RealGM Basketball, on the other hand, said that Jackson, who has coached Gasol when they were still both with the Los Angeles Lakers, believes that the player is the "quintessential center to play in the triangle offense."

Aside from the Knicks, Gasol is expected to receive contract offers from other teams in the NBA during the offseason.