Report: NBA Executives Think Lakers Are Most Likely Destination For Carmelo Anthony

The Los Angeles Lakers are building their roster, and they have LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma and Anthony Davis on the Roster. The team is looking for an All-Star, and some say that Kyle Korver or J.R. Smith may join LeBron. Carmelo Anthony is mentioned, too.

Anthony had a terrible season. He spent some time in Houston, and then joined the Bulls. The team waived him, and he has no home at the moment. Last season, Melo averaged 13.4 points per game on 40.5 percent shooting in just 10 games.

Ian Bengley of SNY reported that NBA execs are already putting Melo and the Lakers in the same sentence.

“Let’s get this out of the way at the top: things can always change, but most executives monitoring Anthony’s free agency see the Lakers as the most likely destination for the 10-time All Star.

“There may have been interest from New York in a reunion with Anthony if they had a roster with multiple stars ready to win immediately. But with Durant injured and the odds against the Knicks building that kind of team this summer, bringing Anthony back is not currently part of the team’s thinking.

“Again, that may be irrelevant because of the Lakers’ interest. But Anthony would have interest in signing with the Knicks and finishing his career in New York, despite how his Knicks tenure ended. It’s worth noting that Anthony handled the spotlight of New York incredibly well during the team’s success and failures while he was here. Given that, he’d be a strong mentor for younger Knicks like Barrett, Knox, Robinson and Trier, who are learning to navigate the attention that comes with playing in New York.”

The Lakers have already been in the talks to get Melo, but it didn’t work. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers had decided to put the talks on pause.

“The Los Angeles Lakers and free agent Carmelo Anthony are pausing talks on a possible contract agreement unless the franchise makes a turn back toward pursuit of Western Conference playoffs contention, league sources told ESPN.

“The Lakers had been leaning toward signing Anthony for the rest of the season — until losses in four of the past five games left the organization and Anthony’s camp wondering if it made sense to bring the veteran into an unsettled environment with suddenly so little chance of making the playoffs, league sources said.

“Anthony, a 10-time All-Star, had been hoping to find a new team that would provide a positive conclusion to his season after an abrupt stay with the Houston Rockets.

The Lakers had waited on Anthony through the March 1 deadline for players to be waived and be eligible for playoff rosters to see who else would become available and perhaps be willing to sign with them, league sources said.”