Carmelo Anthony Free Agency: Chicago Bulls signing worth downside?

There is almost no way that it looks like Carmelo Anthony landing with the Chicago Bulls in free agency works out consistently well.

Is the downside worth it for any team, not just the Chicago Bulls, to take a chance out on the former superstar forward (most notably for the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks) Carmelo Anthony?

The interesting part about that question is the fact that the last team that Carmelo was on the roster for was the Bulls. Although he didn’t play any games with the Bulls after they landed him for cash considerations from the Houston Rockets, Carmelo was immediately waived.

Rumors had him landing with fellow superstar forward, and close friend, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers after the Bulls waived him last season and heading into free agency this summer.

On the plus side, if Melo was ready to take on a role where he could take more of a backseat to the younger and more capable offensive weapons for the Bulls in the mix now, he could be worth it. The problem is that I don’t think that Melo is ready to take on a smaller role with a team that is barely in playoff contention in the Eastern Conference like the Bulls.

Former Detroit Pistons star point guard Chauncey Billups even stated on ESPN last week that he thought that Melo cared too much about getting “30 points per game” than helping his team win. That kind of attitude is not what the Bulls need right now.

However, Melo sat on the free agent market for a long time since he last played with the Rockets on Nov. 8 in a big 18-point loss to his former team in the Oklahoma City Thunder. He couldn’t find a landing spot since November 2018, which could be a telling sign with where NBA executives think his head is at now.

It would also be a rough fit between Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen and Melo. Since Anthony is almost the pure opposite fit for what Boylen seemingly wants out of his scorers in the rotation, this could be a rocky relationship between player and coach.

The tempting part about landing Anthony is the fact that he is one of the most offensively capable and talented wings on the free agent market now. The Bulls most glaring rotational need at this point of the summer is to add wing depth. It also wasn’t too long ago that Melo averaged more than 27 points per game while shooting better than 45 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range.

And in the last 20 seasons, Melo is one of less than 20 players that shot better than 40 percent from three-point range while averaging at least 20 points per game in the same season.

His last two seasons with the Knicks and Thunder still saw Melo shoot around 36 percent from three-point range and well above 40 percent from the field. Better shot selection in a more defined role as a veteran presence would make Melo worth it for the Bulls.

Landing Melo in a world where he is fine with taking a backseat to the likes of rising star shooting guard Zach LaVine and power forward Lauri Markkanen just doesn’t seem like our reality. The thought is nice, but the downside risk likely much outweighs what he brings to the table in the locker room and by adding wing depth.