Los Angeles Lakers: Biggest NBA free agency whiffs in recent memory

3. Carmelo Anthony (2014)

There was so much talk leading up to 2014 free agency about the Lakers’ odds of landing Carmelo Anthony. Fans of the Purple and Gold made it seem like they were in the thick of things, but it never truly had the feel of a race they could actually win.

Now, the Lakers did get a meeting with Carmelo. According to Mark Medina, the Lakers were “pleased with the meeting” despite the fact that Kobe Bryant wasn’t able to attend due to a scheduling conflict. However, I don’t need to tell you that it wasn’t enough to pry Anthony away from the New York Knicks.

Realistically, it probably came down to money. The Knicks were able to offer more than the Lakers or any of the other teams that were in contention, a list that included the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets. So, in theory, we can’t completely blame a poor pitch or lack of talent on Los Angeles’ failure to sign Carmelo.

It did, however, have a couple of unfortunate ripple effects for the Lake Show.

While the Lakers’ attention was on Anthony, the Bulls were able to woo Pau Gasol. That left them down one superstar. It was also the first of many signs of lost respect for the franchise with 16 NBA championships in their trophy case.

You can’t win them all. In the case of Carmelo, though, it was foreshadowing of the Lakers’ fall from grace.