Pacers rumors: Carmelo Anthony being spotted in Indy sparks speculation

Are the Pacers considering adding Carmelo Anthony to their fold? Well, speculations were sparked after Melo was spotted in downtown Indianapolis.

According to Charlie Clifford of WISHTV-Indianapolis, Carmelo Anthony was spotted having some dinner in downtown Indiana. Is Melo on his way to Indy? With this information, the WISHTV sports anchor brewed up the speculation that the Indiana Pacers might consider making a move for Anthony, who is still technically a member of the Chicago Bulls.

Keep 👀 on this #Pacers fans

I am told Carmelo Anthony, technically still under contract with the Bulls, had dinner in downtown Indy tonight. @WISH_TV

May have ordered up some famous 🍤…

No word on who he was accompanied by.

— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) January 27, 2019

The Bulls have made it clear that they have no intentions to keep Anthony or even have him suit up for them at some point this season. Hence, Melo's bid to return to an NBA roster continues.

Anthony is struggling to find himself back on an NBA roster. The Houston Rockets decided to shut down the 34-year-old 13 games into their 2018-19 campaign after they struggled out of the gates.

While it's clear that Anthony is on the decline, he can still score on any given night. His problem, however, lies on defense, and his lack of effort on that end of the floor. This the main reason why both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets decided to part ways with the 16-year veteran.

Could Indiana be his next stop? But why would the Pacers even consider adding an aging star who is on the decline and has had two failed stints with his previous two teams?

Well, for one, they just lost their leader and franchise player Victor Oladipo to a season-ending knee injury. That itself was a tough blow for the Pacers, who have had an outstanding season so far despite a down-year from their All-Star. Now that he is out of the equation, the Pacers may be desperate to find a player who'll help them out on the offensive end.

Will Anthony be the answer for Indiana? And will the risk to add a score-first, out-of-his-prime player to a young and surging squad be worth it for a team looking to take the next step in the playoffs?