Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons team should sign Carmelo Anthony

3. A roster spot is likely to open

When Wojnarowski broke the news about the Lakers’ continued interest in Carmelo, he made it clear they were not willing to waive a guaranteed player to bring him aboard. Instead, they were content to wait and see if a roster spot opened up between now and Feb. 7’s trade deadline.

Well, based on the rumors we’ve been hearing, it seems nearly inevitable the Lakers swing a deal. When that time comes, don’t be surprised if they do end up opening a roster spot — especially because they’ll likely have to package players together to get a deal done from a financial standpoint.

Either way, the odds seem to favor the possibility of space becoming available for Anthony to slide into place for Los Angeles.

With that being said, there’s always the potential for Magic Johnson to change his tune in the next couple of weeks. If the losses continue piling up, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for the Lakers to waive someone in order to bring Carmelo into the fold.

One name to keep in mind is Michael Beasley, who’s been largely irrelevant for most of the season. He’s playing on a one-year, $3.5 million deal that wouldn’t put the Lakers in any sort of cap conundrum if they cut him loose. Despite Beasley’s recent rise in stock, you would have to imagine Anthony offering more upside as Los Angeles pushes for a playoff spot.