10x All-Star Carmelo Anthony has already gone on record to express his desire to return to the Portland Trail Blazers next season.
“I pray that it can be Portland; I think I found a home in Portland,” Anthony said, via Bleacher Report. “…I think you [media members] saw it, why this is a good fit for me. Whenever you find a situation that’s comfortable and allows you to be who you are, you want to stay in that situation. There’s no need to try different things when something is working.”
After a year of exile from the NBA, Melo was signed by the Blazers in November. He stayed with the team throughout the season and into the Orlando bubble, becoming an important rotational piece and restoring some life back in his basketball career.
Still, The Athletic’s Jason Quick has doubts he’ll be donning the Black and Red next season, expressing some questions regarding whether or not Anthony will be willing to accept a lesser role.
The only way I can see Carmelo Anthony returning to Portland is if he has some kind of revelation that he is now a role player. And I can’t imagine that happening.
In the meantime, I think Anthony searches for another team where he can play big minutes. If there are no suitors, he knows he can trust his experience with Olshey and the Blazers and listen to their pitch.
One of the biggest reasons why Melo was outed from Houston and OKC is the fact that he seemed unwilling to take a step back.
At times, we saw flashes of that come out in Melo this past season. But, by the end, it became clear he had been humbled and was okay with taking a back seat.
If he can keep that same mindset this offseason, and Portland can convince him they are in a position to win, it might just be enough to bring him back. But with rumors of his potential interest in New York and Los Angeles, it’s far from a given where he’ll go at this point in time.
