Rival teams are beginning to believe that Carmelo Anthony has conspired to delay his announcement about his future team, until after LeBron discloses where he's going to play next season.

ESPN.com reports that Anthony, whose decisions were weighed out in favor of either the Knicks or the Lakers, already knows where he's headed. The star-athlete may be withholding the information to see if he will have the option of joining his close friend LeBron on the same team.

According to sources, Knicks believed that by Monday they would know if Anthony was willing to commit to the team's new president Phil Jackson for the long term or decide to sign with the Lakers. It is reported that while the Knicks are willing to offer Anthony a maximum deal of $129 million for five years, the maximum offer from the Lakers would be $96 million over four years.

According to ESPN, the Lakers' pitch to Anthony comprised a tête-à-tête with Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.

On the other hand, Los Angeles has decided to wait on James as well as Anthony prior to moving on with their pursuit of other free agents. Although the Lakers are primarily targeting James and Anthony, as days pass, the franchise seems to be getting impatient about the possibility of missing on other free agent targets like Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza.

Like Anthony, James has also gone silent about the free agency, giving rise to speculation that he's waiting to see if there is any possible opportunity for the two stars to play for the same team.

One source close to Anthony told ESPN, "He wants to see what LeBron does," adding, "But he can't wait forever."

Although sources said that the Knicks were confident that Anthony will stay in New York, the delay has certainly made them ansty, as there is no indication until Wednesday morning when either Anthony or James plan to announce their decisions.