After a long, drawn out ordeal, the Houston Rockets have finally came to an agreement to trade veteran forward Carmelo Anthony to the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are expected to release Anthony in the near future, making him a free agent.
And with that will come more questions and speculation as to whether Anthony would join his good friend LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers. This isn’t the first time Anthony’s name has been brought up as a possibility for the Lakers and James has spoken about the possibility himself.
But now is the time it is closest to becoming a reality. The question surrounding Anthony is whether or not he’s a fit in L.A., and one legend believes he would.
Speaking on the NBA on TNT postgame show, Shaquille O’Neal said that he believes Anthony would be motivated to fit in with the Lakers because of the negative perception of him:
“I think he’s a Laker fit. I think because he’s upset right now, he’s a little bit embarrassed. I think a lot of people think he’s done. I think he’s got maybe one, maybe two more years left. And it would be a good city for him, a warm city. I think if he can get some opportunities, especially when LeBron is out of the game, to get it going, maybe he could create some type of spark for them.”
There is no deny that Anthony has gotten a bad look over the last couple of seasons and his reputation has taken a hit. Using that as motivation to prove people wrong could lead to great things, but there are concerns about how he would potentially fit with the Lakers.
As O’Neal noted, Anthony could provide an offensive spark when James is out, similar to the role Luke Walton sometimes employs Michael Beasley in. However, minutes for the Lakers bench players have fluctuated throughout the season, and Anthony would have to be ok with that.
Additionally, the Lakers have been one of the fastest-paced and best defensive teams, two things that don’t quite fit with Anthony’s style of play. There is no doubt that he could provide some positives to the Lakers, but whether that outweighs the negatives is something that the front office will have to decide.
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