Getty Former New York Knicks player Carmelo Anthony waves to the fans in the first quarter against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden.
The free agency rush has come and gone yet NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony still remains available. Last suiting up for the Houston Rockets on November 8th, 2018 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, it seems that most of the NBA has given up on the former scoring champion.
While he talked on a number of topics with ESPN’s First Take host Stephen A. Smith, Carmelo decided to clear the air on his plans for next season and where he hopes to wind up after his prolonged absence from the game.
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Carmelo Anthony Would Love to Play With LeBron James, Has Talked to Lakers & Clippers
Do y’all want to see Melo play with LeBron in LA? 🤔
Speaking in particular about LeBron James, Carmelo said that he would “1000%” want to play with the King if possible. He followed that up by saying that he has actually already talked with the Lakers as well as their Staples Center roommates, the Clippers.
While Carmelo Anthony would still be one of the most talented players on either team, big question marks remain regarding his status after being away from the sport for so long and his ability to adapt to a lesser role off the bench.
For the Lakers, it is hard to see Carmelo cracking the rotation and getting a steady diet of regular minutes. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis set at the two forward spots with Kyle Kuzma looking like a versatile sixth man who can step in at either spot, Melo would seemingly fall pretty far down the pecking order when it comes to the Lakers.
When it comes to the Clippers, it seems a bit more likely for Melo to get a diet of steady minutes – though his fit on the team likely isn’t as strong as it would be on the Lakers. The Clippers also already have a lead bench scorer in Lou Williams, which would significantly limit Carmelo’s impact off the bench. Melo is a volume scorer who needs touches to get going and it seems the Clippers would have to make some major adjustments in order to fit him into a role where he could thrive.
Other Lakers Options For Last Remaining Roster Spot
It seems that the Lakers are sitting back on Carmelo Anthony due to the possible availability of Andre Iguodala. After being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, Iguodala is expected to either be bought out or traded. Should he wind up being bought out by the Grizzlies, Iguodala would immediately become a prime target for the Lakers, who cannot afford his hefty $17 million price tag this year.
The Grizzlies seem comfortable taking their time in finding a trade partner for Iguodala as opposed to jumping the gun and just buying him out. They don’t want to simply lose a former NBA Finals MVP for nothing at all and with a number of teams vying for Iguodala’s services, feel they can at least recoup a few assets by moving the veteran wing player.