The Los Angeles Lakers have always been the perfect destination for stars and are routinely linked to them whenever one appears to be on the way out.
For example, the Lakers were heavily considered to be in the running to land Carmelo Anthony in a trade when he was a member of the Denver Nuggets. Rumors of Anthony leaving Denver forced the team to have discussions and they wound up trading him to the New York Knicks.
Anthony would go on to have an exciting stint back in his hometown, though the Knicks were never able to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Anthony was eventually traded again to the Oklahoma City Thunder following his displeasure with New York’s floundering.
Los Angeles may have dodged a bullet trading for Anthony, but the former superstar revealed that a trade with the Lakers was done well before the Knicks entered the picture, via The Way With Dwyane Wade:
“I’m not saying I want to get out of here, but y’all gotta show me y’all cards. Their cards was we want you to stay. I was like y’all playing with me now. I said this in June. Went to a baseball game at Orioles Stadium and had a good time and we talked like men and we figured it out. Alright, I understand where you’re at let’s make this happen here’s the teams. Chicago, the deal was done with the Lakers. Me and Nene for Lamar Odom and [Andrew] Bynum. That deal was done. I never thought about New York.”
The Lakers are never afraid to swing for a star in a trade and it sounds like the team was incredibly close to landing Anthony. Odom was one of the best overall forwards in the league, while Bynum represented plenty of upside at the center position though neither came close in terms of star power compared to Anthony.
Carmelo previously alluded to the deal, but the detail are quite shocking given what Odom and Bynum meant to the team at the time.
A “Big 3” of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Anthony looks fearsome on paper though there would have been question marks about the defense and whether or not there were enough touches to go around.
Although the trade never materialized, Carmelo eventually found his way to Los Angeles at the end of his career. It may not have been anywhere close to his prime, but it was still a joy to see Anthony represent the purple and gold.
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