Former NBA scoring champion Carmelo Anthony is still a free agent, as of this writing, but if the Brooklyn Nets’ two recently signed All-Stars have a say in things, the veteran forward could be teaming up with them in the 2019-20 NBA season, a new report suggests.
Citing a report published this week by subscriber-only outlet The Athletic , CBS Sports wrote on Thursday that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are “pushing” Brooklyn officials to sign Anthony, who last played for the Houston Rockets early in the 2018-19 season. The report noted that the 10-time All-Star had recently worked out with Irving and a few other Nets players in Los Angeles and had also taken part in a separate, informal workout that was attended by the team’s general manager, Sean Marks.
In addition to Marks, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson also got a chance to watch Anthony play earlier this summer. However, it was also pointed out that despite Durant and Irving’s apparent interest in teaming up with “Melo” in Brooklyn, Marks will “still have the final say” on whether to sign the 35-year-old former New York Knicks standout or not.
As quoted by CBS Sports , Anthony said earlier in August that he knows that he can “still play” and that he’s willing to accept whatever role is given to him.
“My peers know I can still play. I don’t think it’s about basketball anymore. I think it’s about me as a person willing to accept certain roles on basketball teams. Am I willing to accept a certain role on a basketball team? Yes.”
LeBron James reportedly told the Cavs he wanted Carmelo Anthony on the squad but the team said no.
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— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) August 22, 2019
Meanwhile, a separate report from SportsNet New York noted that Anthony was scheduled to take part in “informal” five-on-five scrimmages with the Knicks in Manhattan on Thursday. While one of the outlet’s sources stressed that people shouldn’t “read too much” into Anthony’s appearance, due to the fact that the Knicks already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, another source said that Anthony looked “great” and was one of the top players on the court when he worked out with the Nets earlier this month.
As the Nets also have 15 guaranteed-contract players on their roster, it’s unclear what moves they may need to make in order to accommodate Anthony, should they decide to sign him to a contract.
Prior to the new updates on Carmelo Anthony, he had been linked to a number of other teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. Additionally, The Athletic ‘s report suggested that Anthony’s representatives have also had talks with the Philadelphia 76ers.