Carmelo Anthony is still looking for a job despite a good individual performance for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021-22.
Anthony’s leadership impressed former head coach Frank Vogel. But the 10-time All-Star also delivered on the court, averaging 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 44.1% from the field and 37.5% from deep.
The Boston Celtics have been the most recent team linked to a move for the 38-year-old after their summer signing, Danilo Gallinari, suffered a potentially season-ending ACL injury during a FIBA World Cup qualifier against Georgia.
However, MassLive’s Brian Robb reports the Celtics aren’t expected to sign Anthony ahead of training camp:
The Carmelo Anthony buzz was a hot topic this week after the rumors started swirling about the Celtics’ interest in him last week. However, multiple league sources tell MassLive that the Celtics are not expected to have interest in bringing in the veteran for a signing ahead of training camp. That’s not to say the team is done shaping the roster ahead of the preseason but Anthony isn’t a priority at this point at names that could be brought in. Boston likes a lot of their internal replacement options from what I’ve heard and want to give those names the first crack at minutes.
Shortly after the 2021-22 season ended, rumors claimed Anthony had “a comfort level” living and playing in L.A. But that reportedly meant he could potentially team up with former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Paul George on the L.A. Clippers — even though “the prevailing thought” was that if he was to stay in L.A., it would be to return to the Lakers.
During his exit interview, Anthony was non-committal when asked about running it back with the Purple and Gold. “To be thinking about next year and next season or whatever other than getting it done now, I think that would be selfish for anybody to do that,” he said.
Kevin Durant pushed Nets to sign Anthony
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant wanted to leave the team for the majority of the summer. But after retracting his trade request, he reportedly asked the Nets to sign Anthony as part of the offseason roster overhaul
However, the Nets are believed to have no interest in bringing the experienced forward in.
Still, an East Coast return could be in the cards for Anthony with the New York Knicks believed to have held “internal discussions” about making him an offer earlier this summer.
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