NBA Trade Rumors: Anonymous GM says LA Lakers likely to sign 10-time All-Star, Warriors also a possibility
The LA Lakers have a huge summer ahead of them as they look to fill out the final spots on their roster. The Lakers have 12 players under contract for the upcoming season and are in the market for the final pieces of the puzzle.
According to Heavy.com's Sean Deveney, the Lakers might fill one of their remaining spots with Carmelo Anthony. An anonymous executive told Deveney that he expects the Lakers to bring Anthony back for another season but is unsure when the signing will happen.
"They have a lot to sort out obviously. But as more things get set, they’ll probably get back around to bringing him in.
"It’s just, at this point, you don’t know what might happen with Westbrook and whether you might need to take on players, so you see that around the league a lot—teams have 10, 11, 12 players signed and there’s no hurry to fill in the last spots until you see how the other stuff plays out."
The anonymous NBA executive also told Deveney that the Golden State Warriors might be a viable destination for the 10-time All-Star next season. The executive said that the Warriors have the ability to mask his defensive deficiencies.
"Golden State has the room for him. He can make shots and they can hide up his defense, which is one of the big problems with adding him. He’d take the minimum. They have a lot of young guys on that roster, they could do with another veteran and those guys all know Carmelo from Team USA."
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Should the LA Lakers bring back Carmelo Anthony?
In his debut season with the LA Lakers, Carmelo Anthony averaged 13.3 points and 4.2 rebounds off the bench. He shot better than 37% from 3-point range and over 44% from the field. Anthony also shot over 83% from the free-throw line, making him one of the better shooters on the roster.
Locked in
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However, his defensive deficiencies were apparent. Playing for a team that was one of the oldest in the league, Anthony struggled.
The LA Lakers have brought in younger and more athletic players for the upcoming season and they might be enough to mask Anthony's defensive woes.
On paper, however, the Golden State Warriors remain the best landing spot for Anthony. He is much likelier to win a championship with the Warriors than he is with the LA Lakers.