While a cloud of uncertainty continues to hover over the Brooklyn Nets with the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving situations, the team has still been making some good moves this offseason as they build up their roster. They have signed T.J. Warren, traded for Royce O’Neale, and it looks like some veteran presence might be headed over to Brooklyn as well.
An NBA executive was speaking to Sean Deveney of Heavy regarding potential targets for the Nets as they look to fill out their roster, and he added that there is some talk around the league about the team signing Carmelo Anthony, who surprisingly remains a free agent at this point.
via Heavy:
“I’d expect them to keep 14 guys, keep one spot open. There has been some talk about them signing Carmelo Anthony, maybe as a nod to Kevin Durant, but obviously that has not gotten anywhere, at least not yet.”
Durant is known to have wanted to add Anthony in the past, and the Nets may use this as a potential negotiation offering to help increase the chances he returns to Brooklyn.
Landing Anthony might be a way to appease Durant, as was indicated in this piece, and the delay in signing him can perhaps be explained by KD clearly wanting out, no matter what, as of now. Should his stance soften a bit, then the Nets might look to get Anthony on board to convince him to stay with the team.
The Nets aren’t the only team interested, though, as there is also speculation that the Denver Nuggets could look into signing him. Melo showed last season that he can still be a decent role player in the league, as he averaged 13.3 points to go with 4.2 rebounds per game for the Lakers. He is also someone who will take and make big shots in crucial moments, so you’d expect a team to swoop in at some point for his services.
