The best team in the Eastern Conference last season is reportedly not expected to acquire a Los Angeles Lakers star.
According to a September 9th report from Brian Robb of MassLive.com, the Boston Celtics are not expected to sign Carmelo Anthony ahead of training camp. Boston was linked to Anthony after Danilo Gallinari tore his left ACL while playing for Italy in a World Cup Qualifier against Georgia.
However, Robb reports that the Celtics will look to replace Gallinari’s minutes and production internally.
“The Carmelo Anthony buzz was a hot topic this week after the rumors started swirling about the Celtics’ interest in him last week. However, multiple league sources tell MassLive that the Celtics are not expected to have interest in bringing in the veteran for a signing ahead of training camp. That’s not to say the team is done shaping the roster ahead of the preseason but Anthony isn’t a priority at this point at names that could be brought in. Boston likes a lot of their internal replacement options from what I’ve heard and want to give those names the first crack at minutes,” Robb wrote. “Anthony did a respectable job turning into more of a role player during the last two seasons in LA and Portland but there’s a reason the Lakers (and everyone else) haven’t brought in at this point. He’s 38 years old and his teams have been at the bottom of the league in defensive rating for the last three years with him playing big minutes.”
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. The 10-time All-Star appeared in 69 games and was fifth on the team in scoring, third in 3-point makes and fourth in win shares.
Anthony Comfortable Living in LA & Playing for Lakers Again
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 purple and gold still haven’t made Melo an offer and training camp starts soon.
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.”
Where Could Anthony Play Next Season?
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, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Celtics should look to add Anthony, who scored at least 20 points 11 times last season.
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 tight pals, so it’s widely assumed that LeBron wants Melo to re-sign with the Lakers.
Anthony 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. He made $2.6 million last season in LA.
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Championship Contender Not Interested in Acquiring Lakers Star: Report