NBA News Roundup, Friday, August 9th: Carmelo Anthony return ruled out, Michael Beasley set for China move and more
The 2019 offseason is now well underway, and the league has experienced a huge amount of turnaround ahead of the new season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder appear to have fallen out of contention in the West after losing their All-Star pairing of Paul George and Russell Westbrook, while both Los Angeles teams have strengthened considerably as they look to mount a major challenge for the title.
Meanwhile, the East continues to improve, and the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks are two teams that could reach the Finals after Kawhi Leonard left the Toronto Raptors.
Much of the summer's business has already been conducted, although further trades could be completed before the end of the year. So, here are all the latest news and rumors you need to know for August 9th.
Team USA declined Carmelo Anthony's offer to return for FIBA World Cup
While a number of the NBA's biggest stars continually rule themselves out of selection for Team USA, Carmelo Anthony has been a mainstay with the national team for more than a decade. The veteran has won three Olympic Gold medals and also leads the team in minutes, points and rebounds.
With plenty of USA's stars once again pulling out of the upcoming World Cup, Anthony had been linked with a return, although USA Basketball Managing Director Jerry Colangelo told SI that the team has snubbed Melo's request to play:
I love Carmelo. He made a great contribution. He was a very good international player. But for where we are and what we’re doing, that conceivably could have been a distraction. I understand why the request (to return) was made.
Anthony has not played since being told to find a new team by the Houston Rockets back in November.