Carmelo Anthony is getting another shot in the NBA, as the Portland Trail Blazers signed him to a non-guaranteed deal on Thursday.
Anthony has not played in a game since last November while he was with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets then essentially exiled him and eventually traded him to the Chicago Bulls later in the season, but the Bulls instantly waived him.
Speculation ran rampant that Anthony would ultimately wind up with the Los Angeles Lakers following his Chicago release, but the Lakers did not give him a chance last season, nor did they sign him over the summer.
Now that Anthony is getting perhaps one last opportunity with the Blazers, Lakers superstar LeBron James says that he wishes his good friend would have gotten that chance in Los Angeles:
“I think everyone had doubt. Including himself, probably,” James said when asked if he doubted whether Anthony would ever play in the NBA again, according to Harrison Faigen of SB Nation. “I always hoped that he would get an opportunity. When his name was brought up with us, I hoped that opportunity presented itself, as well. When we had our injuries I was hoping he could come be a part of here, and it didn't happen for whatever reason. But I'm happy that he has the opportunity to go back and play the game that he loves to play.”
Anthony has made 10 All-Star teams in a career that began with the Denver Nuggets in 2003. He spent seven-and-a-half years with the Nuggets before being traded to the New York Knicks midway through the 2010-11 campaign.
The 35-year-old resided in New York for six-and-a-half years and was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder just before the 2017-18 campaign. He was waived after one season and went on to sign with the Rockets, where he played just 10 games.
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