Carmelo Anthony Reveals Teams He Considered Before Joining Lakers

Carmelo Anthony with USA Basketball team in 2016
Carmelo Anthony with USA Basketball team in 2016. Photo by Heuler Andrey/AGIF/REX/Shutterstock

It looks like the Los Angeles Lakers weren’t the only team interested in signing veteran forward and future Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony this summer. After resurrecting his career thanks to two productive seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, Melo apparently had several options to choose from in the free agency.

Appearing on the Posted Up podcast, Anthony told host Chris Haynes that there were three other teams he considered signing for before landing on the Lakers.

The 37-year-old star had re-signing with the Blazers as one of his top options, saying that he wanted to learn more about Portland’s intentions before talking with other suitors.

“I made that almost like a home for me. Within two years, I just felt like I was part of that community,” Melo said.

Melo also thought about returning to his hometown team, the New York Knicks, where he played for seven seasons. 

“New York was always there. Coming back to New York was always a story,” Anthony revealed.

Finally, the Philadelphia 76ers were also an intriguing landing spot for the 10-time All-Star, but the two sides never got past the exploratory talks.

“I didn’t really get a chance to, like, really converse with Philly, but it was interest there,” he added before briefly mentioning the New Orleans Pelicans being interested as well.

Despite all that interest from other teams, for which he said “felt good”, Anthony opted to team up with his friend LeBron James and sign with the Lakers. He now has a chance to win his first NBA title and finally round up his storied career in a proper way.

Check out the full interview below.