Lakers Not on Short List of Landing Spots for Carmelo Anthony?

Carmelo Anthony LeBron James

Getty Houston Rockets forward Carmelo Anthony and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James

When the news came that Carmelo Anthony’s time with the Houston Rockets was all but over, the focus immediately shifted to who his next team would be. One franchise which came to mind was the Los Angeles Lakers, a move that would pair Anthony up with his good friend and NBA star LeBron James.

While ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski revealed there have been no discussions between Anthony and the team about his return, the attention now officially shifts to the veteran’s next home. Unfortunately for those who wanted to see Melo and LeBron team up in Hollywood, that seems like it won’t happen.

As Anthony Irwin of Silver Screen & Roll revealed, NBA analyst Marc J. Spears joined ‘The Jump’ on ESPN and all but fully shut down the talks of Anthony landing with the Lakers. Instead, he cited two other teams to watch for.

“I’d keep my eye on Miami, Philly. Philly’s interested. I am hearing that, not the Lakers. I think the Lakers are done.” Spears stated.

It seems the Lakers may be set with their current roster, which would make sense. While James’ new team does have some needs, they’ve been trending upward, winning three straight games and five of the last six. Currently, the Lakers sit at 7-6 on the year due to a slow start.


Carmelo Anthony’s Up-and-Down Start to Season

Although Anthony began to get rolling a bit with back-to-back 20-point games after a brutal start the season, he’s been all over the map. In the Rockets’ first three games, the 34-year-old shot 9-28 from the field and 3-15 from beyond the arc, failing to hit double figures in any game.

In the two games to follow, Anthony shot 17-35 from the field and 9-18 from 3-point range. He’s seen heavy minutes this year as well, averaging 29.4 per game, but just 13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and less than one assist.

Anthony’s time in Houston is almost certainly over, but it seems he’ll at least have some potential suitors moving forward. Based on Spears’ comments, two of those teams may be the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, but we’ll have to wait and see if either pans out.

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