By Jordan Long
NBA free agency starts today at 4 PM Mountain Time. This is when free agents can talk to teams and agree to deals, but a contract can’t be signed until August 6th at 4 PM Mountain Time. Carmelo Anthony is a free agent and he has a team in mind, the L.A. Lakers.
Anthony has been in the NBA since the 2003-2004 season and played for 5 teams, the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Portland Trail Blazers. He is averaging 23 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game to this point in his career. Anthony has also appeared in 10 All-Star games. He was voted into the All NBA Second Team twice and the All NBA Third Team 4 times. Anthony could be well on his way to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame once his career is over.
Anthony is missing something to his NBA resume, an NBA Championship Ring. To this point, Anthony’s teams made it to the playoffs 13 times but he has never advanced to the NBA Finals. The closest he got was in 2009. Denver made it to the Western Conference Finals but lost to the L.A. Lakers in 6 games.
Anthony knows he is at the end of his career at 37 years old and who knows how many seasons he has left in the tank. He would like to finish it off as an NBA Champion. Anthony could stay in Portland, but they might be rebuilding. His old teammate Chauncey Billups is the new Head Coach for Portland. They played together from 2008 to 2011. Billups knows Anthony’s game but there is no word on if Portland is willing to give Anthony a new deal.
The Lakers are his preferred destination. The Lakers are loaded with talent. They have one of the top players in the league in Lebron James along with power forward Anthony Davis. The Lakers added Russell Westbrook in a trade with the Washington Wizards, creating a big 3. All of them can score from anywhere on the floor. When there is ball movement, those will create mismatches for the defense and easy looks at the basket for them. On defense, all of them can rebound and steal the ball to create fast break chance.
Anthony isn’t a starter in this league anymore. He was a bench player for Portland. The Lakers are already set at small forward with James. He would most likely come off the bench when James needs a rest if the Lakers decide to sign Anthony. The offense wouldn’t change because Anthony is a scorer.
There is no word what the interest is for the Lakers to pick up Anthony. The Lakers could decide they are set with their shooters and find another player. Anthony would still be a free agent. Teams will be interested in Anthony because of his ability to score off the bench. Anthony needs to be patient. Who knows how long it will take for him to sign once free agency opens up.
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