2019 NBA free agency: 5 potential landing spots for Carmelo Anthony
By Jordan Foote
The longtime veteran hasn’t played in an NBA game since November of 2018. Now 35 years old and entering what would be year 17 in the league, what are some potential destinations for Carmelo Anthony?
After a week and a half of nonstop chaos, the 2019 NBA free agency period is beginning to slow down a bit. Teams are focused on rounding out their rosters with what’s left of the free agent market and in the meantime, trade rumors are being passed out like candy. One of the biggest names remaining in this year’s crop of free agents is Carmelo Anthony.
A 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection, Anthony struck fear into opposing teams every time he touched the ball during his prime. A former NBA scoring champion, his ability to score the basketball in those days was second to almost no one. He’s a future Hall-of-Famer without much hesitation and one of the better players in NBA history.
With that being said, Anthony hasn’t posted a season averaging close to 20 points per game since 2016-17. The Big 3 experiment with the Oklahoma City Thunder failed as Melo struggled to accept a relegated role behind Russell Westbrook and Paul George. His next experiment, a commitment to play with Chris Paul and James Harden on the Houston Rockets, also failed. Anthony was made inactive just 10 games into the season, with just a pair of those contests being starts.
Last appearing in an NBA game on Nov. 8 of last year, rumblings of Anthony joining the Los Angeles Lakers swirled around the league and were promptly shut down earlier this year. Those rumors have resurfaced this offseason, but are purely speculation. In the event Anthony manages to hold off on retiring for another year, where could he play in 2019-20?