It should come as no surprise to most ballers that both LeBron James, as well as Carmelo Anthony, have expressed their interest in playing together. This desire will finally be realized as Anthony will be joining the LA Lakers in a one-year deal on Tuesday.
Anthony himself broke this information on social media after he posted a video that included the Lakers logo and his nickname ‘Melo’. As it has been reported, deals with Free Agents can’t be official until Friday. Interestingly, James and Anthony have been good friends since childhood and were also part of a draft class for the year 2003.
Carmelo Anthony Will Finally Be Playing With LeBron James
Carmelo Anthony, now 37, will be joining his seventh team for his 19th season. The last season saw him averaging 13.4 points while scoring 41% of his 3-pointers coming off the bench when he played for Portland.
The Lakers have already found themselves eliminated in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs after they won the title in 2020. Currently, they have one of the oldest rosters in the NBA, with Carmelo the oldest at 37, and Marc Gasol, James, and Trevor Ariza at 36.
Although the LA Lakers have had their moments in offense, courtesy of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the recent success of the team can be solely attributed to their solid defense. Currently, they are the best in defense in the entire league- having allowed a league-best 106.8 points per 100 possessions the previous season. With the acquisition of Carmelo Anthony, they could be looking at a much better standing this season.
As it stands, Carmelo Anthony has come in at a golden time, for the defense isn’t looking their best after the opening day of free agency. The Lakers have already traded Kentavious Caldwell- Pope as well as Kyle Kuzma, two of the main pillars of their defense, which saw them acquire Russell Westbrook from the Wizards. They also ended up losing Alex Caruso- who is their best defensive guard to the Chicago Bulls.