NBA Rumors: Carmelo Anthony To LA Lakers ‘Remains A Possibility’ After Bulls Buyout, Per ‘ESPN’
Carmelo Anthony has been on four different NBA teams since he parted ways with the New York Knicks in the summer of 2017. From a one-year stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the 10-time NBA All-Star was sent to the Atlanta Hawks only to collect a jersey, and was then signed to the Houston Rockets as an unrestricted free agent. Anthony thought that Houston would be his last stop.
The Rockets believed that Carmelo Anthony was the player that could help them dethrone the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately, it only took 10 games for the Rockets to realize that the veteran small forward was an odd fit on their roster. Anthony ended up being traded to the Chicago Bulls, who decided to waive him recently, as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
As an unrestricted free agent, Carmelo Anthony can now pick his preferred destination. Since the Rockets removed Anthony from their rotation, the Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as one of his top landing spots. Wojnarowski revealed that the Lakers “remain a possibility to sign” Anthony provided that a roster spot becomes available.
“The move is part of the franchise’s original plan with Anthony, which will allow him to monitor the post-trade deadline roster flux to find his next destination. The Lakers remain a possibility to sign Anthony, but that wouldn’t happen until they use their current roster to exhaust trade deadline efforts to acquire New Orleans star Anthony Davis. The Lakers would need to create an open roster spot to sign Anthony, who is a favorite of LeBron James.”
Bulls waive Carmelo Anthony, paving way for 10-time All-Star's free agency https://t.co/CEoHfXmHRx
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) February 1, 2019
The Lakers are currently in a deep discussion with the New Orleans Pelicans involving All-Star big man Anthony Davis. Any trade involving Davis will likely cost the Lakers multiple young players and a salary cap filler. If the deal pushes through before the February NBA trade deadline, the Lakers are expected to create a roster spot to sign Carmelo Anthony to a veteran minimum deal.
It’s hardly a surprise why Carmelo Anthony has been frequently linked to the Lakers. Anthony and Lakers superstar LeBron James are close pals and members of the infamous Banana Boat Crew. Earlier in the 2018-19 NBA season, James said that he would love to have Anthony on his team, but he made it clear that he will let Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and General Manager Rob Pelinka make the decision.
Carmelo Anthony may already be on the downside of his NBA career, but he could still be a great addition to the Lakers, especially if they lose Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram in the potential deal with the Pelicans. In the 10 games he played with the Rockets, Anthony averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds on 40.5 percent shooting from the field, and 32.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
