2018 NBA free agency: Early predictions for where top 15 players will sign

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12. Carmelo Anthony, SF, Oklahoma City Thunder (Player Option)

Where he will sign: Oklahoma City Thunder

Don’t get me wrong here. There’s a very good chance that Carmelo Anthony does not want to live in Oklahoma City anymore. If he were still the player he was a few years ago, he’d have just about every team after him this offseason.

Unfortunately for him, that’s no longer the case. In the last couple of years, Anthony has lost his luster a bit. While that’s not to say he isn’t scorer still, we’ve seen in 2017-18 that he’s clearly the No. 3 option for the Thunder. That leads me to believe he could be forced to take much less than the max if he hits free agency.

So instead of risking that, Anthony simply opts in with Oklahoma City for 2018-19. That’ll pay him $27.9 million — an excellent payday for a 33-year-old scoring machine who seems to be on a slow-but-steady decline.

This way, Carmelo continues to rake it in, doesn’t have to fret with free agency, and gets to continue playing alongside one of the best players in the world (Russell Westbrook). Even if Paul George doesn’t return, Anthony will know he can at least stay competitive in the West with Brodie locked in long-term with the Thunder.