Sam Amick

USA TODAY Sports

What better time than the Fourth of July weekend to discuss NBA free agency, that annual event when players who finally have the freedom to play where they want so often choose the most dramatic of parade paths before arriving at a decision.

The 2014 winner of this award? Carmelo Anthony.

It's not a criticism, but it is a fact. The former scoring champion is 30 years old and has never done this free agency dance before, so he has traversed the country listening to all the prospective pitches from teams and leaving the fate of so many franchises in the balance.

From Chicago (the Bulls) on Tuesday to Houston (the Rockets) and Dallas (the Mavericks) on Wednesday and Los Angeles (the Lakers) on Thursday, at which point the New York Knicks, his team for the past 3½ seasons, had the final say and made it clear to Anthony that they were willing to give him the maximum salary contract (five years and about $130 million) that may serve as the 'Melo Mania trump card.

According to two people with knowledge of the situation, the Knicks are confident about their standing in the sweepstakes and consider the Bulls the only real threat among the many suitors. A decision is expected from Anthony by Monday, though the ever-present fluidity of free agency means there is no definitive timeline. The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the negotiations.

Should Anthony decide to shift the Eastern Conference balance of power by heading for Chicago, the way in which he'd get there might be quite convoluted, especially with the reports Friday that the Bulls were working to get a deal done with forward Nikola Mirotic. Signing Mirotic, who was drafted 23rd overall by the Bulls in 2011 and has flourished in Spain's top league for Real Madrid, would cut into the Bulls' already-limited salary cap room (estimated at $10 million if they used the amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer).

The Bulls could create room by trading forward Taj Gibson as well, but the sixth man of the year runner-up is seen as a major selling point for Anthony as he decides which team can help him win the title. Thus, a sign-and-trade with the Knicks involving Boozer seems to be the most likely way for the Bulls to pay Anthony the sort of salary it will take to get him to town. And that, of course, would require the Knicks' cooperation.

Yet while some have been skeptical that the Knicks would go for such a deal, new team President Phil Jackson would have to consider it, and a person with knowledge of the situation said it's expected that he would. If Anthony's mind were made up and if he still were willing to sign with the Bulls even if Gibson wasn't there, then Jackson would be faced with the proposition not only of losing Anthony's services, but also of trying to land the next big free agent with limited assets.

A sign-and-trade with Boozer could net a first-round pick from the Bulls and perhaps a few second-round picks as well – the kind of pieces that could come in handy if a role reversal were to arise a year from now with the Knicks and prospective free agents such as Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge. In short, it's simply bad business to lose something for nothing if it's clear that Anthony is going to be gone.

Then again, it may never come to that. Anthony — whose meeting with the Knicks included Jackson, new coach Derek Fisher and general manager Steve Mills — has more than 30 million reasons to want to stay put. That's the approximate difference in dollars between the Knicks' max deal and one that can be offered elsewhere, and the fact that Anthony recently celebrated his 30th birthday means he surely knows he won't command that type of payday when his 35th rolls around.

Still, it's not just about the business but the basketball too. Jackson is selling Anthony on his remarkable 11-ring résumé, on the fact that he helped Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant get to the top of that championship mountain and, with Fisher's help, could do it with him too. Pau Gasol has a fascinating role in the 'Melo mania, as the free agent and former Los Angeles Lakers forward is considering both the Bulls and the Knicks (as well as the Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Miami Heat) and could either find a way to join forces with Anthony or receive a big payday of his own by going to the highest bidder that misses on Anthony.

Anthony's independence is on full display this weekend, all right. We should know soon which team is in the mood to let the fireworks fly.