Carmelo to join LeBron and the Lakers
Carmelo Anthony is now a Los Angeles Laker after agreeing to terms on a one-year deal. Anthony was one of four players signed by the Lakers on Tuesday.
Carmelo Anthony is the most recent NBA superstar to join the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. The former Portland Trail Blazer has agreed to a one year contract with the 17 time champions.
Anthony joins the Lakers after two years in Portland
Anthony returned to the NBA two years ago when he was picked up by the Blazers. Before that he had a year long hiatus following a bumpy ride with the Rockets in the 2018-19 season. Carmelo spent most of last year coming off the bench for former coach Terry Stotts.
Russell Westbrook became the first blockbuster offseason acquisition for the Lakers when he agreed to terms on Friday. Since then they have brought in Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore and Malik Monk.
Anthony adds depth and experience to LA's new-look roster
The complete makeover of the roster comes after the Lakers were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs after having to pass through the Play-In-Tournament. The Lakers finished seventh in the Western Conference, after seeing their two stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis miss significant time during the regular season.
The 37 year old’s minutes and numbers have dropped, but last year the veteran showed that he’s still got some gas in the tank, scoring 13.4 points while shooting a career high percentage from three point range. The 18 year veteran moved in to the top 10 on the NBA all time scoring list last year, and will now have what one of his best chances to win a NBA title with the new look superteam at Staples Center.
Carmelo seeking first title in 18 year career
Carmelo is looking to make the NBA Finals for the first time in his career. In 13 trips to the post season, he made the conference finals just once, that came back in 2009 when Denver lost to the Lakers in six games.
It was a busy Tuesday from Los Angeles, who also signed Taken Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk in a seismic day in the free agent market that will send ripples through the league. The Lakers have parted ways with Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso to clear space for their new acquisitions.