Lakers Rumors: Could Carmelo Anthony Look Internationally To Continue His Pro Career?
It appears that multiple 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers may have finished their Hall of Fame careers in L.A. after all.
Though the Brooklyn Nets had made overtures about signing either center Dwight Howard or power forward Carmelo Anthony in the offseason, they ultimately opted to move in a younger direction with their frontcourt.
Howard, an eight-time All-Star who won a title as a key Lakers reserve in 2020, last week announced he would be continuing his pro hoops career with Taiwanese club the Taoyuan Leopards. Now, it looks like Melo may be joining him, albeit on another Taiwanese team. The 10-time All-Star is reportedly being pursued by the Tainan TSG GhostHawks, per Focus Taiwan.
The GhostHawks have the green light from head coach Liu Meng-chu to approach Anthony with an offer. The 38-year-old vet still seems to have some NBA life left, it's a bit of a surprise that he has not landed with a new NBA roster this year. The future first ballot Hall of Famer averaged 13.3 points (on .441/.375/.830 shooting splits) and 4.2 rebounds per game across 69 contests with the Lakers last year.
The 6'7" combo forward was selected with the third pick in the 2003 draft (current Laker LeBron James was selected first) out of Syracuse University by the Denver Nuggets. He also logged time with the New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trail Blazers.
Why the Detroit Pistons drafted Darko Milicic with the second pick in that draft, ahead of Anthony, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh, will forever be one of the funniest gaffes in league history. Chad Ford revealed Detroit's thinking on a classic episode of The Ringer's Bill Simmons Podcast:
But we digress. Carmelo Anthony, like Dwight Howard, is an all-time great, and it is a little disappointing that, with some juice left in the tank, Anthony is not presently rostered.
You know what team could use a guy who made 37.5% of his 5.8 three-point attempts last season?
Maybe the team that ranks dead last in three-point percentage so far this season...
