Carmelo Anthony is slated to wear No. 00 for the Portland Trail Blazers upon his Tuesday debut, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The perennial scorer signed his contract with the team on Tuesday, a one-year, non-guaranteed pact that will see him earn $2.15 million if he remains in the roster past his January guarantee date.
The 35-year-old is set to make his debut with the team on Tuesday, as the Blazers face the New Orleans Pelicans in the back portion of a back-to-back, following a 24-point loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday.
After news of his signing broke last week, the Blazers likely did not want to put Anthony in the narrative of facing his former team, which ditched him after 10 games. Anthony also needed time to move from his home in New York, where he has stayed since being released by the Rockets 10 games into the 2018-19 season.
Melo's jersey number change comes after his old No. 15 is retired in honor of Larry Steele, who was part of the Blazers' championship team. His most recent No. 7 hasn't been worn in Rip City since former star Brandon Roy retired in 2011.
The Blazers have faced issues at the defensive end, while also lacking a consistent scorer besides the star backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. While Melo could help on the latter, Portland will need a team-wide effort to corral loose balls and become a better rebounding team, starting on Tuesday against an injury-laden Pelicans team.
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