NBA Rumors: Carmelo Anthony could join Orlando Magic on a short-term deal
Carmelo Anthony has found his footing in the NBA once again following an impressive campaign with the Portland Trail Blazers. But now that his one-year deal has expired, the question of 'what next?' arises. Melo himself has suggested that he would want to love to re-sign with Portland but the franchise needs to consider a few variables before handing him that offer. In the meantime, NBA rumors have linked him to several teams, and the Orlando Magic now join that list.
NBA Rumors: Orlando Magic a viable option for Carmelo Anthony in free agency
While discussing potential landing spots for Carmelo Anthony on the latest episode of the Hollinger & Duncan NBA Show, John Hollinger and Nate Duncan mentioned Orlando Magic as an interesting option.
"Any team that could use some scoring on the second unit could benefit from him [Carmelo Anthony] to some degree, even a team like Orlando...to just have an inefficient creator which is better than no creator," said Nate Duncan.
Hollinger, who is a senior NBA analyst and former VP of Basketball Operations of Memphis Grizzlies, doubled down on the suggestion of Orlando Magic targeting Melo.
"Orlando is an interesting one because if you're not gonna have Jonathan Isaac this year, Melo on a one-year deal kinda makes a little bit of sense," John Hollinger opined.
Jonathan Isaac injury concern for Orlando Magic
Jonathan Isaac suffered a torn ACL during the NBA restart and is now expected to miss the entirety of the 2020-21 campaign. Isaac had a breakthrough year this season, managing nearly 12 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. However, fitness remained a concern for him throughout as he managed to play just 34 games.
The Orlando Magic have become a regular feature in one of the low playoff seeds during the last few seasons. They aren't in a position to improve much either in the short term. So a stop-gap solution like Carmelo Anthony makes sense for them with Isaac out of the equation for the time being.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors - Re-signing Carmelo Anthony not in Portland Trail Blazers' "best interests"