Carmelo Anthony and Portland Trail Blazers feel-good story continues

The Portland Trail Blazers re-signed Carmelo Anthony to a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal meaning the feel-good story continues.

NBA fans know the story. Carmelo Anthony was traded by the OKC Thunder, blamed for their early playoff exit in the 2017-18 season. The Atlanta Hawks then waived him. Anthony signed on with the Houston Rockets and lasted ten games before being waived. He sat out the remainder of the 2018-19 season. Then came the call from the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019-20.

In what has been one of the most difficult times for a lot of the world thanks to the pandemic, Anthony and the Trail Blazers have made the most of the terrible situation they both found themselves in. Anthony seemed to be in NBA purgatory and the Trail Blazers were hobbled by injury.

When Anthony hit the court for the Blazers, he answered many questions. He was still talented enough to make a difference in the NBA. He was also able to play a role alongside a dominant backcourt without needing to be the number one option on the team.

What the new contract looks like with the Portland Trail Blazers

Anthony signed a one-year veteran’s minimum contract with the Trail Blazers per Shams Charania of the Athletic. It did not seem that Anthony would even look at another team, considering how poorly he had been viewed after being cut from the Rockets. The only team who threw him a lifeline was the Blazers.

Antony was incredibly loyal to the New York Knicks before the Phil Jackson fiasco put him offside. This was the reason he waived his no-trade clause. This does not mean his loyalty was any less, he knew he was not wanted and got out of a toxic situation.

He is also a great locker room presence and the Blazers organization is going to benefit from having him in there this year again. The roster they have bought together has a good chance to take out the title this year and Anthony is going to be a big part of that.

He is a true leader and a legend of the game. In his 17 year career, Anthony has never averaged below 13.4 points per game and that was during his brief time with the Rockets. Last season he averaged 15.4 points per game as the team’s third option.

One way of knowing that Anthony embraced his role was by looking at his efficiency numbers. He shot the ball at 38.5 percent from behind the 3-point line this season. This was the second-best number for his entire career, behind the 40.2 percent in the 2013-14 New York Knicks campaign.

The ten-time All-Star should have a greatly reduced role next year. He will still get good court time until Zach Collins returns from surgery. After that, he will lead the second unit which has the makings of one of the best in the NBA.

While there is no guarantee that it is his final season, Anthony is missing one thing from his resume and that is a title. There is a lot of water to pass under the bridge before the Blazers could celebrate this season.

Think about it though, could there be a more fitting farewell for a player who has given his all for 17 seasons. He has been a scoring champion and at the other end of the scale, he was a pariah after Houston. He has worked his way back from that and deserves to go out a champion.