Call him the $62 million man.
Carmelo Anthony has elected to take half of his $22.5 million this season up front. Because the five-year, $124 million contract is built similarly for future seasons, he’ll have $62 million up front over the course of his deal.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Anthony, per NBA rules, took the maximum allowable 50 percent of his new pact in advance.
The payout has no bearing on the Knicks’ salary cap, but likely is among the largest immediate payouts in NBA history. The newspaper did not specify or speculate why Anthony took his 50 percent immediately. The obvious reason is to gain interest right away.
According to an NBA source familiar with the league’s payroll, big advances are not unusual.
Anthony took a minor paycut — $5 million less than the maximum salary of $129 million. He took a $450,000 raise for his second year instead of the maximum allowable $1.5 million to give the Knicks extra cap room in 2015.