The Los Angeles Lakers officially announced the signing of Carmelo Anthony who spent the previous two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers and Anthony reportedly agreed to terms on a deal on the second day of free agency.
Terms of the deal have not been disclosed but it is believed to be for one year at the veteran minimum.
Anthony rejuvenated his career with the Trail Blazers after an unceremonious stint with the Houston Rockets where he only appeared in 10 games. The Rockets eventually traded Anthony to the Chicago Bulls but was subsequently waived. This was the latest installment of a series of moves for Anthony who was previously traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder and later bought out by the Atlanta Hawks.
With Portland, Anthony showed that he is still a capable NBA scorer but was willing to accept a lesser role on a team featuring Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. During the 2020-21 season, the forward averaged 13.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. More impressively, however, Anthony shot a career-best 40.9 percent from distance on nearly five attempts a game.
Anthony has long been linked to the Lakers as a potential target for quite some time but finally joins the Purple and Gold in their quest to hang banner No. 18. It is also a reunion for the former superstar as he now gets to play with one of his best friends in LeBron James.
Anthony and James are the last remaining active players from the historic 2003 NBA Draft Class, and now team up in Los Angeles where they are favored to win the Western Conference. Anthony already has a Hall-of-Fame resume but adding a championship would all but solidify his status as an all-time great.
The veteran is widely expected to take on a bench role with the Lakers and space the floor for the likes of James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. With his blend of outside shooting and isolation scoring, Anthony could very well be an integral piece of the team’s title run.
LeBron James calls out roster critics
With the addition of Anthony, the Lakers added another steady yet older veteran to an already aging roster. Critics have been quick to makes jones about L.A. on this, but James was not having it as he called out those who hold negative opinions of the current team.
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