Over the next few weeks leading up to the trade deadline, there will be plenty of speculation about what roster moves the Lakers might make. One name the team has been connected with since his fallout in Houston earlier this season is Carmelo Anthony.
Ever since Anthony was essentially banished from Houston in November there have been numerous conflicting reports about whether the Lakers are a potential fit and if the team would welcome him. According to a new report from Sam Amick of The Athletic, despite being linked to Anthony, the Lakers face a few hurdles in the way of acquiring the former all-star.
The Lakers, who have a full roster and would have to waive someone to sign him if he was waived, continue to be tied to Anthony more than any other team. But according to a Lakers source, the fact that the roster is full is not a small obstacle.
Not only would the full roster be a deterrent but the team is unsure of Anthony’s condition and ability to contribute at this stage of his career.
Not only is it unclear how they would clear the roster spot to add Anthony, or if there’s a possible trade to be made there with the Rockets, but a source close to James said Anthony’s conditioning and the overall state of his game are considered key factors here in terms of convincing the Lakers to add the player who had the worst season of his career with the Thunder and wasn’t any better with the Rockets.
Later in the article, Amick singles out Ivica Zubac as a player the team would not cut to make room for Anthony which should be a no-brainer given his improvement this season. Before his emergence, Zubac was someone that might have made sense for the Lakers to waive to gain a roster spot but that’s not happening now. With Zubac off the list, there is no clear answer to who Anthony would be an upgrade over at this point.
Overall, there seems to be too much that would need to happen in order to add Anthony and that’s especially true if you take into account how poorly he has played in his two previous stops.
The team may very well make some sort of roster moves between now and the trade deadline or maybe they add someone who gets bought out. However, even with their association with Anthony, it looks unlikely that he joins the squad.
