Getty Houston Rockets forward Carmelo Anthony
While Carmelo Anthony may prove to be one of the most talked about players on the NBA buyout market, it doesn’t necessarily make him the best option. With that said, there has already been interest in the veteran forward after a brief (on-court) stint with the Houston Rockets, followed by a stop in Chicago. Although the Rockets chose to go a different direction, one team who could be in the mix for Anthony is the Philadelphia 76ers.
After a busy trade deadline in which the Sixers bolstered their lineup essentially from top-to-bottom and added a new top-tier starter in Tobias Harris, they could look to add another piece or two. Buyouts in the NBA can feature some obvious moves as well as a few surprises, and we’re going to take a look at a few names who could make sense for the Sixers in the near future.
While Anthony will be a talking point, and he’s already been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers often, we’re going to start elsewhere for the Sixers with buyout targets.
Frank Kaminsky, Charlotte Hornets
As of this moment, the Charlotte Hornets haven’t made a final decision on Frank Kaminsky, but it should be coming. After three consecutive seasons averaging 21.1 minutes or more, with a high of 26.1 in 2016-17, the 25-year-old forward has seen just 11.0 minutes of court time per game this season.
New Hornets coach James Borrego has done a great job with his team to this point, but Kaminsky hasn’t been a major part of the plan. On the season, he’s averaging 5.2 points and 2.5 rebounds while failing to reach double-digit minutes in any game since January 2 when he played 16.
Kaminsky’s ability to knock down outside shots and play as a stretch four off the bench would benefit the Sixers in a big way. While the team acquired Mike Scott from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Harris trade, they could view Kaminsky as a possible upgrade. On the season, the former first-round pick is shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Carmelo Anthony
The tenure of Carmelo Anthony with the Rockets has been well-documented and was a confusing and strange situation. Obviously, Anthony wasn’t a fit in Houston and his numbers across the board have almost all fallen off over the past two seasons. At age 34, he’s someone who should be relied on to add some level of scoring off the bench.
One big question is whether Carmelo would embrace being a role player. He’s yet to be tasked with doing so in his career thus far, and the numbers aren’t overly enticing. During his only season with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017-18, he averaged 16.2 points (lowest of his career) with 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Anthony also shot just 40.4 percent from the field and those numbers dipped even more in 10 games with the Rockets. He averaged 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists while shooting 40.5 percent and 32.8 percent from beyond the arc in a short stretch this season.
Anthony needs a fresh start and will likely receive that. The question becomes whether adding him makes sense for a Sixers team that’s thrived with their new-look roster in a short period. It’s a question mark, but he would provide scoring to a second unit that could still use it.
Other buyout targets for Sixers: Markieff Morris, Ben McLemore, Michael Beasley
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