Getty Former New York Knicks player Carmelo Anthony waves to the fans in the first quarter against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden.
It looks like there could be a battle in New York for Carmelo Anthony’s services.
According to Frank Isola of The Athletic, both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are pushing hard for the Brooklyn Nets to sign the 10-time All-Star. Not only have Durant and Irving pushed for the Nets to sign Anthony, Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks has already hosted the 35-year-old veteran for an informal workout.
“The Brooklyn Nets remain interested in potentially signing Anthony, who recently trained with a group of their players in Los Angeles, including Kyrie Irving. In fact, one source told The Athletic that Irving and Kevin Durant, who both joined the Nets in July, are “pushing” the club to sign Anthony.”
Isola warned that although Marks has hosted Anthony for a workout, he does have the final say and it’s not clear whether he’s completely sold on the former NBA scoring champion.
“Nets General Manager Sean Marks will have the final say, and it’s unclear if Marks is willing to take a chance on Anthony, who was born in Brooklyn and remains a popular player among New York basketball fans. Anthony has not played in an NBA game since being banished by the Houston Rockets last November.
Marks, according to a source, did watch Anthony train recently in what was described as an informal workout. Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson has also watched Anthony play this summer.”
The Nets are in desperate need of a second scorer to pair alongside Irving due to Durant being sidelined for the 2019-20 season because of an Achilles tear. It also doesn’t hurt that all three of the aforementioned players were teammates on the Team USA Olympic team that won gold in 2012.
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Knicks Also Interested in Signing Carmelo Anthony
While the Nets appear to be showing an extreme interest in the Brooklyn-born Anthony, they have some competition nearby — that would be because the New York Knicks are currently hosting Anthony for workouts and allowing him to participate in 5-on-5 scrimmages with the current roster, as originally reported by Ian Begley of SNY.
Carmelo Anthony will attend the Knicks’ informal 5-on-5 scrimmages today in Manhattan, SNY sources confirm. New York has 15 players on guaranteed deals, so one source said not too read too much into Carmelo’s presence at the workout, which was first reported by Sports Illustrated
This is notable because the Knicks are Anthony’s former team — and his last great stop. Across seven seasons in the Big Apple, the veteran small forward was a two-time All-NBA selection, won the scoring title during the 2012-13 season and made it to the All-Star Game in all six of his seasons with the club.
Perhaps most importantly, he became a fan favorite in New York. Now that the team has moved on from Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks lack that fan favorite veteran — Damyean Dotson is their longest-tenured player at three years. Furthermore, he can provide leadership to the new franchise star, R.J. Barrett, who just so happens to play the same position as Anthony.
Numerous NBA Teams Interested in Signing Carmelo Anthony
But the interest in Anthony isn’t just limited to the New York teams. Although Anthony has been a free agent since being waived by the Atlanta Hawks in February, two other notable contenders — the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers — have shown an interest in Anthony, according to Isola.
Furthermore, the Philadelphia 76ers have also reached out to Anthony and have had conversations with his representatives.
It’s pretty clear that Anthony remains a hot name among NBA circles. There’s no doubt that he can still play and he’s willing to play any role at this point to salvage his career.
However, there’s still a lot of skepticism among NBA executives as they still have yet to offer Anthony a contract.
Considering former NBA All-Star Joe Johnson is also working out for the Clippers and Sixers in the coming days, Johnson’s next NBA stop will likely determine where the dominoes fall — and which team actually pulls the trigger and offers Anthony his next shot at redemption.
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Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving Pushing for Nets to Sign Carmelo Anthony, Other Teams Interested [Report]