Carmelo Anthony was recently placed in basketball purgatory after the Houston Rockets declared his time with the team was over. The 10-time All-Star is still evaluating his options, as the Rockets have yet to cut him, as they look for the best potential way to part ways after 10 games with the team.
Retirement, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, is not completely out of the question, given the likely arid NBA market with very few teams needing a mid-range artist to add to their lineup.
“As one source close to Anthony explained, “everything is up in the air” regarding the future of Carmelo Anthony. Retirement isn’t out of the question. Anthony, of course, wants a resolution quickly, but the belief is he needs to be patient while the marketplace plays out. Portland and New Orleans are mentioned as possible landing spots.”
The Trail Blazers coveted Anthony's services during the summer of 2017, even having stars like CJ McCollum talk to him in hopes to convince him of a partnership. Their roster hasn't changed much since, and their bench could use an injection of firepower to keep themselves in the top three spots of a rabid Western Conference.
The Pelicans could also bolster their bench and even use Carmelo Anthony at his natural position as a starting small forward, giving them a much more versatile asset than their current starter Solomon Hill.
Father Time has caught up with Carmelo Anthony, as it's caught up with his draftmate Dwyane Wade, making the possibility of retirement a very real one if his next stint doesn't work out, or even if either of these teams don't happen to see a clear fit for the perennial scorer in their lineup.