With Russell Westbrook now in the fold and the team needing to fill out the roster with talented veterans with championship aspirations, the Los Angeles Lakers appear to be looking in the direction of Carmelo Anthony.
According to Jordan Schultz of ESPN, the Lakers are showing considerable interest in signing the veteran forward, who spent the last two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers:
#Lakers are “very interested” in the prospect of signing Carmelo Anthony, per a league source. Melo has been linked to the Lakers as a possibility, given his friendship w/LeBron dating back to high school. Anthony drilled a career-best 40.9 percent from 3 last season w/Portland.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 31, 2021
Despite having a career that could merit a Hall of Fame induction once he calls it quits, Anthony has been able to win a championship in the nearly two decades he’s been playing in the NBA.
Anthony’s best chance of winning it all was during his time playing alongside Chauncey Billups with the Denver Nuggets. That team reached the Western Conference Finals in 2009 only to lose in six games to the eventual champion Lakers led by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
Since that time, Anthony has bounced around the league headlined by a long stretch with the New York Knicks. After his stint with the Knicks, the Syracuse product played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Blazers before possibly landing with the Lakers this summer.
Although Anthony struggled to get a job before ending up in Portland, he’s played well for the Blazers in a bench role that he was reluctant to take on in the years prior. He averaged 13.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game last season while shooting 42.1 percent from the floor and an impressive 40.9 percent from beyond the arc.
If Anthony is willing to take on a similar role with the Lakers while playing alongside close friend LeBron James, it may be a foregone conclusion that he puts pen to paper in free agency and sports Purple and Gold next season.
Knicks interested in Talen Horton-Tucker and Dennis Schroder
The New York Knicks are desperately seeking some upgrades to their roster in NBA free agency this summer and may have their sights set on some backcourt options from Los Angeles.
Talen Horton-Tucker and Dennis Schroder appear to be on the Knicks’ radar as free agency approaches. It remains to be seen whether New York will have a solid chance at signing one or both of these talented guards, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.