A person close to Carmelo Anthony thought the Los Angeles Lakers would sign Melo last season after he was exiled by the Houston Rockets, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN.

The Rockets exiled Anthony after just 10 games. They eventually traded him to the Chicago Bulls in January. The Bulls waived Anthony in February, making him an unrestricted free agent.

In the days and weeks to come, rumors surface of Anthony potentially joining other franchises, and one source close to Anthony says he believes Melo will be joining the Lakers midseason. Multiple sources close to the situation note that the Miami Heat had also been interested in acquiring Anthony before he'd chosen Houston, but in the end, no option materializes.

Anthony averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds with the Rockets while shooting 40.5 percent from the field, 32.8 percent from beyond the arc and 68.2 percent from the free-throw line.

The Lakers never signed Anthony despite having one of his best friends, LeBron James, on the team.

Melo was once again linked to the Lakers this summer, but LA opted not to sign the future Hall of Famer. The same goes for the Brooklyn Nets, whose stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving pushed management to sign Anthony, but nothing materialized.