New York Knicks guard Allonzo Trier never had the opportunity to play with the team's former star Carmelo Anthony, but the sophomore guard expressed his support for the exiled forward with a tweet that read: “Free Melo @CarmeloAnthony.” It seems obvious that the young scorer believes that Anthony should be on an NBA roster, but Anthony's former teammate Robin Lopez shared a different theory.
All I can imagine is Allonzo on a street corner with Melo sitting on a card table, sign reading "Free Melo, Take One". I bet it's counterfeit Melo…
— Robin Lopez (@rolopez42) July 14, 2019
Lopez envisions Trier as a street-wise hustler trying to lure in marks with the promise of Melo, free of charge. “It's probably a bunch of randos in headbands and arm sleeves,” continued Lopez. “New Yorkers are savvy enough to steer clear, but the tourists will be hooked.”
Trier's game is basketball, not three card monte, but Lopez, always the joker, took the opportunity to riff on the young guard's tweet about his former teammate. Lopez played with Anthony in New York during the 2015-2016 season. He averaged 10.3 points and 7.3 rebounds a game with the Knicks, while that same year Anthony averaged 21.8 points per game 7.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
Lopez was subsequently traded to the Chicago Bulls as part of a trade for former MVP Derrick Rose. Anthony waived his no-trade clause during the offseason of 2017 after several conflicts with then-team president Phil Jackson and was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Melo then posted what was a career-low in points per game with 16.2 in his one season with the Thunder, who then traded Anthony to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team trade, which was widely seen as a cost-cutting move.
On July 30, Anthony accepted a contract buyout from the Hawks, and was subsequently placed on waivers. He signed with the Houston Rockets on August 13, 2018, but by November 15, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey announced that the team was “parting ways” with Anthony.
Lopez's joke seemed to go over much better than his one season in New York. Together with Anthony, the 2015-2016 Knicks went 32-50.
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