Getty Carmelo Anthony vs. Grizzlies
The big Carmelo Anthony news came on Thursday night, courtesy of ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and it sent shockwaves through the NBA.
As Wojnarowski first reported, the 10-time All-Star forward agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Portland is signing Carmelo Anthony, league source tells ESPN.
The news was also revealed during the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks broadcast on TNT by Allie LaForce. The sideline reporter shared that Anthony is second amongst active players on the NBA’s scoring list behind LeBron James.
“Portland is signing Carmelo Anthony according to Adrian Wojnarowski, he just sent out a tweet about 15 minutes ago. Saying that it is official and that it is a non-guaranteed contract – keep in mind it has been over a year since Carmelo Anthony last played a game. His last game was November 8th, 2018, and among active players has the second most scored points trailing only LeBron James. Carmelo Anthony is back in the NBA,” said LaForce.
Last week, Heavy.com ‘s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson interviewed Anthony and asked him if he still wanted to play. Anthony replied, “2000 percent, and make that the headline.”
Shaquille O’Neal on Melo Signing With Portland
During the halftime break of the Mavericks vs. Knicks game, the news of Carmelo signing with the Blazers was discussed by the TNT panel, and Shaquille O’Neal was asked to share his thoughts on the new addition in Portland.
“I like Carmelo I know he has been asking for this chance. So, hopefully, he goes in and does well there are still questions on what happened in Houston and why it didn’t work, but they play the Rockets on Monday. I’m happy for Carmelo I wish him well, and hopefully, this will be a great ending to his book chapters,” said O’Neal.
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Hall of Famer Reggie Miller on Carmelo Anthony
Hall of Famer and current NBA analyst Reggie Miller thinks Carmelo Anthony in Portland is a match made in heaven considering all of the injuries and changes this past offseason. He pointed to the need the Blazers currently have for more scoring.
“Well, number one good for him [Anthony]. It’s been a while, and I’m surprised it has taken this long. I think it’s a great destination for him because right now, the Blazers don’t look like the same team that went to the Western Conference Finals a year ago. They need some more scoring between [CJ] McCollum and Dame Lillard. They lost a lot of pieces with the injuries to Zach Collins, and you lose Al-Farouq Aminu, and Seth Curry was on that team last year. So, this is a great destination for Carmelo.”
Damian Lillard Approves
As Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported Thursday night, Blazers star Damian Lillard was supportive of the Anthony signing and was made aware of the front office’s plan the night before.
Damian Lillard was notified on the potential of adding Carmelo Anthony last night and he made it clear that he’s always been supportive of bringing in the future Hall-of-Famer, league sources tell Yahoo Sports. Portland searching for a boost to what has been a slow start.
Anthony was previously asked by TMZ about his defense not being the same as it used to be. In the video, the future Hall of Famer smiles and drive-offs.
Anthony will now get a chance to showcase what he has left and will do so with a Blazers team which will likely give him minutes right out of the gate.
READ NEXT: Blazers’ Damian Lillard Approves of Carmelo Anthony Signing