Among those is Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks All-Star small forward who is one of Kobe Bryant’s closest friends in the league (close is loosely defined here), and whose wife is close with Bryant’s wife. Anthony desperately wants to become a winner, and will have the opportunity to do that in Los Angeles while maintaining his lead dog status once Bryant departs from the team.
In an interview with Observer.com, Anthony said that he’s looking forward to becoming a free agent this off season.
“I want to be a free agent,” Anthony tells me, as our cigars burn close to the nub. “I think everybody in the NBA dreams to be a free agent at least one time in their career. It’s like you have an evaluation period, you know. It’s like if I’m in the gym and I have all the coaches, all the owners, all the GMs come into the gym and just evaluate everything I do. So yes, I want that experience.”
These words come on the heels of Anthony saying that he want’s to remain a Knick, telling reporters, “I’m not going nowhere” when asked about his impending free agency.
While his mind might be set on remaining with the Knicks right now, him saying that he wants to test the market will, at the very least, give the opportunity to give Anthony their pitch for a chance to pry him away from New York.
It’s much too early to know whether the Lakers have a shot at bringing him to Los Angeles, but we at least know that they’ll have a chance to talk to him once free agency begins.
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