Carmelo Anthony's Future: Assessing whether the Los Angeles Lakers should sign Carmelo Anthony this summer
Carmelo Anthony has not stepped on an NBA court since November. The 10-time All-Star was cast aside by the Houston Rockets after making just 10 appearances, and in the subsequent five months, Melo has been unable to find a new permanent home.
Ahead of the February trade deadline, Anthony was traded to the Chicago Bulls, although the struggling franchise immediately waived the veteran, leaving Melo free to find his own team. However, Anthony has struggled to attract interest and it looks increasingly unlikely that the 34-year-old will find a team ahead of the playoffs.
Nevertheless, it is possible that Melo could find a route back to the NBA next season, with the Los Angeles Lakers among his most likely suitors. The Lakers explored signing Anthony last month, and only the team's elimination from playoff contention put a pause on the move.
LeBron James himself has reportedly pushed hard for the Lakers to move for Melo, and here we will evaluate whether Anthony would be a good addition to Luke Walton's team.
Against Melo
While few will question Anthony's continued ability to score with ease, there are major concerns that his game has aged badly.
Melo performs best in a high usage role, getting the majority of his points from isolation plays, and while this style has worked for him, the NBA has increasingly moved away from this tendency of play.
In the early part of the season, it was also evident that the Lakers wanted to push the pace, meaning Anthony is potentially a bad fit.
On the defensive end, Anthony is a total liability. With the veteran on the court, Houston's defense fell from 6th in defensive efficiency last season to 20th this year.
His defensive work with the Thunder was also widely criticized, and the Lakers would have to accept that his presence would make them a lot worse off defensively.