When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards, L.A. needed veterans to sign for the minimum to fill out the 15-man roster.
The Lakers had only the $5.9 million taxpayer mid-level exception (MLE) to attract a younger talent; that deal went to Kendrick Nunn.
But before Nunn signed, one of the veterans the Lakers signed to a minimum deal was Carmelo Anthony.
Before the free agency period started, Anthony was basically a given signing because of both sides’ interests.
Los Angeles needed more 3-point shooters to surround Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and Anthony can fill that need. Anthony made 40.9% of his 3-pointers last season with the Portland Trail Blazers, which was a career-high.
But the signing was also significant because it’s the first time James and Anthony are teaming in the NBA.
The two have been friends since they began playing in the league 18 years ago and were top-three picks in the 2003 NBA draft.
Eighteen years later, they’ll share the court in Los Angeles.
Anthony opened up on teaming with James this season, via Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation:
Carmelo Anthony on finally teaming up with LeBron James: "Timing is everything. For years we've always laughed about it and spoke about it. … The time is now for us to be on the same team. It couldn't have come at a better time."
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) August 9, 2021
Anthony, 37, has played at power forward for the majority of his minutes the last two seasons. That should continue in L.A. as he can be utilized to space the floor as a reliable catch-and-shoot threat; however, his defensive mobility may hinder how long he can remain on the court in specific rotations.
It’ll be interesting to see if Frank Vogel starts Anthony alongside James or brings him off the bench as a scoring option when the primary trio needs rest.
