NBA Rumors: Carmelo Anthony Could Be L.A. Lakers’ Plan B If They Fail To Acquire Andre Iguodala
Since the 2019 NBA free agency started, rumors have swirled around Andre Iguodala and his future with the Memphis Grizzlies. Having a veteran mentor with plenty of championship experience may benefit the Grizzlies’ young core, but at this point in his NBA career, Iguodala would definitely prefer to play for a legitimate title contender than stay on a rebuilding team.
In an appearance on The Lowe Post, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN revealed that if the Grizzlies agree to buyout Andre Iguodala’s contract, the Los Angeles Lakers would emerge as one of his top favorite landing spots. The Lakers may have succeeded in acquiring Anthony Davis and quality veterans this summer, but to further strengthen their chance of fully dominating the Western Conference and contending for the NBA championship title in the 2019-20 NBA season, they must still continue to find ways to address some issues on their roster.
Targeting Andre Iguodala makes a lot of sense for the Lakers as he would give them a defensive-minded wingman who could serve as LeBron James’ primary backup next season. Unfortunately for the Lakers, as of now, the Grizzlies haven’t considered the idea of letting Iguodala walk away as an unrestricted free agent, believing that there will be NBA teams who will be willing to throw away valuable assets for the veteran small forward before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline.
If the Grizzlies succeed to find a trade partner for Andre Iguodala, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes that LeBron James could urge the Lakers to bring his close pal and co-member of the famous Banana Boat Crew, Carmelo Anthony, to Los Angeles.
“If the Grizzlies do manage to move Iguodala, however, the Lakers will have to look elsewhere to bolster their roster. Might they add James’ friend and 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony to the mix? It’s definitely an idea that James has considered.”
LeBron James and the Lakers have been linked to Carmelo Anthony from the time he parted ways with the Houston Rockets. As a matter of fact, it was recently revealed that the Lakers considered the idea of signing Anthony when he was waived by the Chicago Bulls last season. However, Anthony’s camp decided not to push through with their plan to join the Purple and Gold after they failed to earn a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Though he’s not a defensive reinforcement like Andre Iguodala, Carmelo Anthony would still be an intriguing addition to the Lakers, giving them a very reliable scoring option in their second unit. Anthony may have already shown a huge decline with his performance, but he still has plenty of gas left in his tank. Compared to his previous stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Rockets, Anthony is now very willing to come off the bench and accept a reduced role on the offensive end of the floor.
As of now, the Lakers are still closely monitoring Andre Iguodala’s situation in Memphis, but if things don’t go their way, it won’t be a surprise if Carmelo Anthony really ends up wearing the Purple and Gold in the 2019-20 NBA season.
