Veteran forward Carmelo Anthony is excited to be back in Portland.
Anthony tweeted out a highlight tape after he was officially re-signed by the Trail Blazers, thanking Rip City for the appreciation showed to him thus far.
Thanks for the love Rip City@trailblazers pic.twitter.com/Wnm9mgGFc4
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) November 24, 2020
Portland general manager Neil Olshey showed Anthony even more appreciation.
The Blazers have been one of the most active teams of the NBA offseason. Olshey made moves to acquire Robert Covington from the Houston Rockets and Enes Kanter from the Boston Celtics while re-signing Rodney Hood and bringing in Derrick Jones Jr. via free agency. He also added upside in Harry Giles.
Despite all those moves, however, Olshey called re-signing Anthony the most important move of the offseason because of how it resonated with the team's culture.
Olshey noted it is likely Anthony comes off the bench next season. But Melo is likely to welcome that role at this stage in his career, and he has seemingly found a real home in Portland.
The Blazers took a chance on bringing Anthony back to the league after years of struggling to gather interest. Portland was in desperate need of frontcourt assets following the loss of guys like Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins, and Anthony helped fill the void.
Carmelo averaged 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and also shot 38.5 percent from deep on nearly four attempts per game. Anthony gave the Trail Blazers a vital third scoring option and soaked up frontcourt minutes.
Although Anthony's role will change, he is excited to play for a franchise that values him and has made significant strides to contend for a championship.
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