Getty Lakers stars Russell Westbrook, Trevor Ariza, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony
An Eastern Conference playoff team has been urged to steal a future Hall of Famer from the Los Angeles Lakers.
In a September 6th piece called “Ranking Best Landing Spots for NBA Veteran Carmelo Anthony,” Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey wrote that the Chicago Bulls should sign Anthony, who is an unrestricted free agent.
“The Chicago Bulls are another team that could use a little more three-point shooting. In 2021-22, they finished 29th in the league in threes per 100 possessions. If they want to threaten for a top-10 offense, they may need to up their volume from there, and Melo can help,” Bailey wrote. “Over the last two seasons, among players who logged at least as many minutes, only six match or exceed both of Anthony’s marks for threes per possession and three-point percentage.”
Anthony averaged 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 44.1% from the field, 37.5% from beyond the arc and 83.0% from the free-throw line for the Lakers last season. He appeared in 69 games and was fifth on the team in scoring, third in 3-point makes and fourth in win shares.
The Bulls went 46-36 in 2021-22. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2017, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round in five games. Anthony scored at least 20 points 11 times last season, so he could be a good addition to the Bulls.
LeBron James’ Friend Wants Anthony Back with Lakers
On August 7th, Cuffs The Legend — who is LeBron James’ friend and an NBA analyst — tweeted that the Lakers should re-sign Anthony. James and Anthony are close pals, so it’s widely assumed that LeBron wants Melo to re-sign with the Lakers.
According to an April 23rd report from Sean Deveney of Heavy, Anthony is comfortable living in Los Angeles and playing for the Lakers again. However, the LakeShow still haven’t made the 10-time All-Star an offer and training camp starts soon.
In his September 6th piece, Bailey named the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics as three other teams who should consider signing Anthony. The 38-year-old forward has career averages of 22.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in 1,260 regular-season games with the Denver Nuggets, Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Lakers.
Anthony Joining Celtics ‘Starting to Gain Traction’
According to a September 3rd report from Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, the Lakers could lose Anthony to the Celtics. Boston needs a small forward after Danilo Gallinari tore his left ACL while playing for Italy in a World Cup Qualifier against Georgia.
“This is starting to gain traction because Anthony may be the best shooting forward left on the market, and he has shown to be productive offensively despite his age,” Washburn wrote. “He turned 38 in May, but he managed to play 69 games last season and average 13.3 points off the bench. Anthony has been criticized for his lack of 3-point shooting, but he has improved dramatically. Anthony was in exile from the NBA after a short stint in Houston because of his reluctance to take shots from behind the arc. That has changed. Anthony has remained in great shape and can still score. He had 20 or more points in 11 games last season and played 26 minutes per game, showing his durability. Anthony wants an opportunity to win a championship, and this could be his best chance.”
On April 11th, Anthony spoke with Dave McMenamin of ESPN about his experience with the Lakers, who missed the playoffs last season. The Syracuse product sounded noncommittal about his future with Los Angeles.
“This was another chapter for me,” Anthony told McMenamin. “I can say I’ve experienced it. … I can finally check the box — played with Bron. Played with AD. We had, on paper — we were phenomenal on paper. Me, personally, I had a good year, personally. Just as far as happiness and being able to go out there and compete and being able to do my part, play my part on this team. There were good days, there were bad days, but we got through it, and I got through it.”