The aging former Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks superstar forward Carmelo Anthony isn’t going anywhere from the buyout market right now.
The buyout market brought mixed results for some teams in the Western Conference in playoff contention like the Los Angeles Lakers. At this point though, it is difficult to say that the Lakers are even in playoff contention considering the slipping record in the Western Conference standings. After the March 4 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at home, the Lakers dropped beyond five games back of eighth place in the West. The need to add a piece like veteran free agent Carmelo Anthony looks dire.
It seems like the Lakers need some type of boost, whether it be the small forward Carmelo Anthony or something else. There are some rumors emerging that the Lakers are going after the former top NBA Draft selection that’s playing in Australia at this moment with center Andrew Bogut. The last team that Bogut played for in the NBA was the Lakers, which was last season for 33 games.
However, the path that Carmelo Anthony took to get to this point where the Lakers seemed like the only realistic landing spot for him was a winding path. He started the season playing alongside star guards Chris Paul and James Harden before getting dished out before the deadline last month. He was dealt to the Chicago Bulls, but never played a single game with this franchise.
The Bulls bought Carmelo Anthony out rather quickly, and there weren’t any immediate talks of him landing with another NBA team. Playing alongside superstar forward and his longtime friend LeBron James emerged as a nice option for Melo, but that hasn’t worked out yet.
According to ESPN, the Lakers and Melo have “pressed pause” on contract talks for now on the buyout market. But, some of the emerging rumors have it that Melo just doesn’t want much to do with the situation with that team right now. Deadspin reported that Melo would “rather stay home” than join the Lakers at this point of the regular season.
The Lakers and free agent Carmelo Anthony are pausing talks on a possible contract agreement unless the franchise makes a turn back toward pursuit of playoffs contention. Story on ESPN: https://t.co/SHP0y2mGLe
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 4, 2019
The impact that this has on the Bulls is bigger than most fans might think. With the buyout market going stagnant with one of the teams that was anticipated to be a frequent shopper, the Lakers, there could be an opportunity for the front office for the Bulls to jump into discussions.
If the Bulls are still looking to offload veteran center Robin Lopez this season, he could have a viable destination in Los Angeles. Even if he stays until the off-season, something like a sign and trade deal with the Lakers could be a possibility. The stock on Lopez is up right now and the Bulls could take full advantage.
For the time being, this is a big storyline to watch around the NBA as LeBron continues to flounder in the standings in the West. Despite another MVP-caliber season from him, the Lakers supporting cast isn’t strong enough to hold up through that grind in the West right now when it matters most.