Carmelo Anthony Leaves Blazers to join LeBron, Lakers

NBA Free Agent Carmelo Anthony is leaving the Portland Trail Blazers to join LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in pursuit of a championship. The news comes from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The 18-year veteran forward spent the last two seasons in Portland after the Blazers brought him in from a hiatus during their 2019-20 campaign. Anthony appeared in 127 games for the Blazers, starting 61. He averaged 13.3 points and 4.6 rebounds on 42.5% shooting in 28.3 minutes per game. The three-point shot became his hallmark. He averaged 39.9% on 4.3 attempts per game in Portland.

Those numbers—especially the playing time—stretched towards the upper end of the expectations that Anthony brought into the role. Though he was a 10-time All-Star and 6-time All-NBA nominee, Anthony had languished in stops with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets before he came to Portland. The Rockets waived him in February of 2019. The Blazers did not pick him up until November, ostensibly to augment a frontcourt depleted by injuries. Anthony didn’t just fill minutes, he started at power forward, providing scoring off the bench and the occasional clutch fourth-quarter shot.

Wojnarowski reports that Anthony is on a one-year deal with L.A. He and James were drafted first and third, respectively in the 2003 NBA Draft. Anthony is the only player drafted in the Top 5 that year who does not have an NBA title to his name.