It was only a few years ago that Carmelo Anthony was exiled from the NBA. After a few stints went wrong, he found himself unsigned for almost a year before Portland finally took a chance and inked him to a deal.
He eventually joined the Lakers, where he played alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the NBA’s biggest market. He played surprisingly well for his first run with the team, but now he’s a free agent, and there’s a chance he might not be coming back.
The good news is that the Lakers are working on that and have actually had some productive discussions on having him re-join the team.
Report: Lakers have had “productive talks” on bringing Carmelo Anthony back. A couple of other teams are also in the mix, via @massey_evan. pic.twitter.com/EbA6pebVlX
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 21, 2022
Of course, as a team, the Lakers were a complete disaster last season. They were a bad fit, struggled to stay healthy, and finished 11th in the West.
Through it all, Melo kept his composure and played his role to perfection.
“If had the answer, I would have answered that a long time ago. I don’t have the answer to that,” said Melo on why it took so long for his team to get it together. “The only thing I can speak on is how we’ve been playing as of late, how we’ve been competing as of late and how we just been preparing ourselves for this last stretch.”
It remains to be seen if Anthony can maintain his performance from last season, but he’ll be a valuable member of the team if he can.
In the 2021-22 campaign, he averaged 13.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on 44.1% shooting. With another chance to grow and develop his game/chemistry, he could be in for an even better showing.
We will just have to wait and see where he goes and how he plays.
