The Los Angeles Lakers finally got their chance to meet with Carmelo Anthony today, and Kobe Bryant will meet up with him later tonight after failing to get back to Los Angeles in time.
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Despite Bryant not being there, the Lakers are expected to offer Anthony a four year max deal acording to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne:
Lakers made it clear to Melo today they'd offer the maximum, 4-yr, $97mil contract they can, if he chose them.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 4, 2014
This is no surprise at all as the Lakers were fully expected to offer Anthony the maximum amount possible. The only team so far that has said they wouldn’t offer him a max deal is the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers went all out in their presentation to Anthony. Jeanie Buss led a contingent that included brother Jim, general manager Mitch Kupchak, and even Hall of Famer James Worthy. The Lakers also showed a ‘Hollywood Presentation’ from Joel Silver, producer of ‘The Matrix.’
Anthony represents the Lakers’ best chance at quickly re-building the team into a championship contender. With him in town, the Lakers would try and bring back Pau Gasol and create their own Big Three in Los Angeles.
Anthony is now likely to take the weekend to think over all of his options. After meeting with the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls, and New York Knicks this week, Anthony has a lot to think about.
The Lakers have been viewed as a longshot throughout this process. Hopefully they have done enough to sway Anthony, and this max deal will help matters.
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