Carmelo Anthony was one of the lone bright spots of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2021-22 NBA campaign.
The future Hall of Famer was brought in to be an offensive spark plug off the bench, and that is precisely the role he ended up filling.
Anthony averaged 13.3 points per game last season on 44.1 percent shooting from the field and 37.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
That is roughly similar to the 13.4 points per game he put up the prior year with the Portland Trail Blazers, only that came on 42.1 percent shooting from the field and 40.9 percent shooting from three.
So again, he delivered on expectations. The Lakers, though? Not so much. They promised Anthony a chance to win his first career NBA title, but the squad couldn’t even make the playoffs when it was all said and done.
Unsurprisingly, two teams have emerged as potential suitors to steal Anthony away from the Lakers ahead of 2022-23. Both are legitimate title contenders in their own right.
The first is the Brooklyn Nets. According to NBA insider Steve Bulpett, they are a real player in this conversation.
“The possibility is there for that because Anthony, maybe he can contribute but his (salary) number would not be very big. If you’re Brooklyn, that is the positive,” Bulpett said.
“It would be a nice story, if he could win a ring there to end his career,” one NBA GM noted.
The Golden State Warriors are another option.
“Golden State has the room for him,” the GM also noted. “He can make shots and they can hide up his defense, which is one of the big problems with adding him. He’d take the minimum.
“They have a lot of young guys on that roster, they could do with another veteran and those guys all know Carmelo from Team USA. I do not know if they would really take that plunge on him, but it does make some sense.”
Anthony is still an extremely productive NBA player, even at his age. In that respect, the clamor to steal him from the Lakers is not even remotely shocking.
Does some off-the-court stuff accompany Anthony? Yes. His groupie nonsense from last year wasn’t ideal. Ditto for La La going into such unambiguous specificity about why she dumped him.
But that’s life in the NBA. You take the good with the bad.
The video speaks for itself. https://t.co/uoPebEHgYH
— Game 7 (@game7__) July 30, 2022
Someone will definitely take a chance on Anthony in 2022-23, it’s just a matter of who.
Where will Anthony ultimately be playing next season when it’s all said and done?
Time will tell.
Related: LeBron James Only Willing To Leave Lakers Under 1 Condition
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
