Getty Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers in action against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.
After Danilo Gallinari tore his meniscus during the 2022 EuroBasket tournament, there has been much speculation surrounding if the Boston Celtics will try to find a replacement or not. Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports reported on August 30 that the Celtics were looking at Carmelo Anthony as a possible Gallinari replacement.
Carmelo Anthony has been considered a potential signee by the Boston Celtics in recent days following Danilo Gallinari’s suffered torn meniscus in his left knee on Saturday, I’m told.
Knicks are still believed to have interest in the former Laker, Thunder, Blazer, Rocket.
It appears a former Celtic approves of Anthony possibly coming to Boston. Jared Sullinger, who played for the team from 2012 to 2016, quote-tweeted Robinson’s report of Boston’s interest with three clap emojis, signifying that he wants Anthony to join the team.
Sullinger was originally drafted with the 21st pick with the Celtics in the 2012 NBA Draft. In his four seasons with the team, he averaged 11.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 43.6 percent from the field, according to StatMuse.
Sullinger has not played in the NBA since 2017 but has continued his pro career overseas.
Lakers Insider Gives Inside Info on Carmelo’s Possible Return
On August 31, Jovan Buha of The Athletic sat down with Michael Scotto of Hoopshype to discuss multiple Los Angeles Lakers topics, including Carmelo Anthony potentially returning to the team.
Buha told Scotto that Anthony returning to the Lakers is possible after including Stanley Johnson in the Patrick Beverley trade took away from their frontcourt depth.
“It could be possible. I think, looking at the roster, they need more frontcourt depth now that Stanley Johnson is gone. They have a couple of roster openings. They need shooting, and that’s something Melo is still an elite player at,” Buha said.
Buha added that the Lakers signing players who play the same position Anthony did for them indicates that they likely won’t re-sign him.
“I think had there been more initial interest earlier this summer, they probably would’ve re-signed him, and he would’ve been back as the second unit power forward. Signing Juan Toscano-Anderson and trading Johnson, I think it’s clear they’re going in a different direction.”
Finally, Buha mentioned that while it’s not out of the question, he made it clear that if the Lakers wanted Anthony back, they would have re-signed him by now.
“I wouldn’t completely rule it out, but I think it probably would’ve happened had there still been mutual interest. I think Melo probably ends up somewhere else.”
Celtics Insider Says Team May Look to Sam Hauser Instead
After the report came out that the Celtics considered Anthony a potential signee, Brian Robb of MassLive wrote an article detailing the pros and cons of potentially adding Anthony to the squad. Robb brought up that the team bringing him in may get in the way of the development of Sam Hauser, someone the Celtics reportedly have a lot of faith in.
League sources tell MassLive that the team is very high on the 24-year-old undrafted sharpshooter who knocked down 43 percent of his 3s during his rookie year in limited action. Bringing in a veteran like Anthony would eliminate the possibility that Hauser develops well in extended action presented by Gallinari’s injury. Anthony is obviously far more proven but Hauser’s numbers last year in Boston and the G-League show he’s a better 3-point shooter, and it won’t be hard for him to defend better than Anthony either.
Robb added that Hauser’s young age – he’s 24 years old – may make him a better option than Anthony.
“Bringing in a veteran like Anthony who will be pushing to play is far from a no-brainer when it’s not clear he’s a better player than some youth on the roster.”
Because Gallinari won’t be out for long, and the Celtics have young players to fill in for him, Robb does not think adding Anthony would make sense.
“Assuming the Gallinari injury won’t sideline him for much longer than a couple of months, bringing in Anthony doesn’t make a lot of sense for Boston in a part of the roster with plenty of younger viable alternatives.”