Carmelo Anthony's future with the Los Angeles Lakers and in the NBA remains in doubt. After a rather tumultuous 2021-22 season that ended in disappointment, the 37-year-old forward is facing the uncertainty whether he'll retire or play one more year.

According to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, however, the general belief from around the league is that Anthony will be playing for at least one more year as he continues his search for that elusive championship. Returning with the Purple and Gold franchise is also said to be the likeliest option for him, though that still depends if the team can fix the current roster.

The Lakers ended up 11th in the West in 2021-22, finishing with a 33-49 record as they barely missed the play-in. Following that rather shocking result, talks about the team moving on from Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis emerged.

“There is a comfort level with living in L.A. and playing there,” one NBA source told Heavy. “The starting point on him coming back and not retiring is signing on with the Lakers and hoping that they fix the roster and the coaching situation. But it’s wide-open.”

Sure enough, Carmelo Anthony have some options if he chooses to leave the Lakers and sign elsewhere to compete. Deveney's report also indicated the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets as possible destinations.

The Clippers and Knicks can be considered longshots because of Anthony's Lakers preference if he stays in LA and the fact that New York doesn't need him. However, Brooklyn is a different story since Melo is from the area and the team presents a big opportunity for him where he can play a significant backup role.

“If he wants to go back to the area, the Nets stuff will pop up again,” an East GM said. “He’d probably rather be there than back with the Knicks. He won a gold medal with Kevin Durant and Kyrie (Irving) and they wanted to sign him (in 2019) but the front office wanted more defense. Now, he’s kind of shown he can play a role as a 3-point shooter and they need to add more shooting because they’re worried about Joe Harris to start the season. If he leaves the Lakers, there will be interest on both sides with him and the Nets. He could win there.”

Out East, the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat are mentioned as possibilities as well. An Western Conference exec admitted that it makes sense for the Heat and Carmelo Anthony to pair up, while joining the Celtics is also an intriguing option with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown expected to welcome a veteran leader who can shoot.

There are a lot of possibilities for Melo in the offseason, though Lakers fans will hope he stays for one more year in LA after being one of the few bright spots for the team over the past year.