4 teams that should jump at chance to sign free agent Carmelo Anthony

4. Denver welcomes Carmelo Anthony home to end his career

Coming full circle with a return to the Mile High City would be a beautiful way for Anthony to spend the final year(s) of his career. An inductee of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, Carmelo got his start as a pro playing for the Denver Nuggets after being picked third overall in the historic 2003 NBA Draft class. Although his first stint didn’t end on the most amicable of terms, enough time has passed so that Melo and Denver are able to embrace once more.

The Nuggets are on the precipice of contention with a deep rotation complimenting generational star Nikola Jokic. Much of this offseason has been spent establishing elite spacing around Jokic so the big man has room to operate near the paint and from the high post. Playing for this team, Melo would be a lot closer to his Lakers self than his Portland role, meaning off-ball activity would be key to his success.

Denver will roll out one of the most physically imposing lineups in basketball with size, length, shooting prowess and elite skill in its starting lineup, but the bench doesn’t strike much fear into its opponents. Anthony offers a scoring punch through limited minutes who can be inserted into the lineup at any time to pack a punch.

Plus, with the Nuggets’ recent history of injuries, frontcourt insurance in the form of a former superstar wouldn’t hurt.