Retirement is a possibility. Around the league, though, it’s believed that Anthony will play at least one more year, having shown himself to be a useful option as a backup forward who can shoot, having knocked down 37.5% of his 3-pointers this season, after making 40.9% in Portland last year.
Source: Sean Deveney @ Heavy.com
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Jimmy Butler’s first 3-pointer tied him with Carmelo Anthony, Penny Hardaway and Hedo Turkoglu for 92nd on the NBA all-time playoff list. – 8:40 PM
Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
Scottie Barnes is the first rookie to average 35 mins per game on a playoff team since Derrick Rose.
Over the last 20 years, the only other rookie to do it is Carmelo Anthony.
If Barnes turns into that caliber of a player, the Raptors will be right back in the title hunt. – 1:24 PM
More on this storyline
“There is a comfort level with living in L.A. and playing there,” one NBA source said. “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.” -via Heavy.com / April 25, 2022
If Anthony wants to get back to his roots, according to executives around the league, the Nets stand out as the big opportunity. Anthony was born in Brooklyn. “If he wants to go back to the area, the Nets stuff will pop up again,” the 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.” -via Heavy.com / April 25, 2022
Two other East teams were mentioned as darkhorses: The Celtics and Heat. Anthony certainly would be amenable to a season in Miami, playing with veterans like Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, as well as Bam Adebayo. “That is one place I could see both sides saying it makes sense,” a Western Conference executive said. “But only if Miami makes a trade. They have a lot of young guys who need minutes and they have to figure out how that will be sorted. If it is Melo or, say, Caleb Martin, they’re going to keep building up Martin.” -via Heavy.com / April 25, 2022