The Carmelo Anthony trade saga continues to take unexpected twists and turns and it's becoming increasingly difficult to predict how things will play out.

Just last week, it was reported that the New York Knicks were intensifying their efforts to trade the veteran small forward after re-signing Tim Hardaway Jr. to a four-year, $71 million contract.

The franchise was in trade discussions with the Houston Rockets and after agreeing to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate the move, it seemed like a matter of if, and not when, Melo would head to Texas.

But according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks have now paused talks with Houston and all other teams and are considering keeping Anthony in New York.

However, per Wojnarowski, this isn't something that the 10-time All-Star wants to do as he has his heart set on a move to the Rockets to team up with long-time friend Chris Paul and James Harden.

Melo and the Knicks have an arrangement in place that he will waive his no-trade clause if they're successful in shipping him to Houston and he expects the organisation to honour that.

According to ESPN, after hiring Scott Perry as their new general manager, New York has decided to put any trade discussions on hold as they're yet to receive a suitable offer for Carmelo.

After former president Phil Jackson publicly declared that the Knicks wanted to ship Anthony out of the Big Apple, his relationship with the organisation is damaged and almost irreparable.

Therefore, the 33-year-old is unwilling to continue playing in NY and it's up to Perry and the team's front office to ensure this situation comes to an amicable conclusion.

Having just taken over as the GM, Perry is keen to spend more time analysing the Melo situation and assessing his trade value - which has dropped significantly due to the team's desire to trade him becoming public.

If they decide to abandon trade talks, Anthony will have no choice but to accept it and remain a Knicks player heading into the new season.

The three-time Olympic Gold Medalist has two years and $54 million left on his contract but can opt-out in the summer and become an unrestricted free agent, which he is likely to do if he's forced to remain in New York. 

The Melo-drama could well drag on further into the summer and is unlikely to finish soon so expect more developments along the way.