Getty Images Carmelo Anthony– Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers (October 20, 2018)
The Athletic reported today that LeBron James may be interested in bringing the estranged Carmelo Anthony to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Joe Vardon reports:
“James and his camp still believe Anthony can play, that there could be a place for him as a contributor on a Lakers’ team that is young and continues to battle injuries. Brandon Ingram is the latest casualty. His sprained left ankle will keep him for at least the next two games.
And, broadly speaking, James does not want to see Anthony’s career end either with the Houston divorce or the 10-time All-Star playing out the string in this season in a market where he doesn’t want to be.”
Carmelo Can’t be Traded Until December 15th
Though The Athletic’s sources said there have been no requests made by LeBron or Lakers president Magic Johnson (or GM Rob Pelinka, for that matter) to acquire Anthony, they wouldn’t be able to do so until December 15th anyways.
Carmelo has been laying low since his high-profile estrangement from the Houston Rockets, a failed experiment that came humiliatingly after yet another bust with the Oklahoma City Thunder. With both experiments being tossed out, the decorated veteran Anthony has become almost blacklisted–many teams are skeptical of taking him on because of his age and recent track record.
That being said, most of Anthony’s tarnished reputation just boils down to folklore. The man can still play, and few people know that as well as LeBron James.
We’ll see what happens, but come December 15th Carmelo Anthony could hope to find redemption as a Los Angeles Laker.
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