On Monday, Carmelo Anthony was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Chicago Bulls, where it has been reported he will not see the court for the Bulls and will hit free agency once he clears waivers.
While the Lakers do not currently have a roster spot for the forward, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that the Lakers “maintain interest” but “do not want to waive a guaranteed player to create a roster spot.”
Sources: The Lakers maintain interest in Anthony, but do not want to waive a guaranteed player to create a roster spot for him, league sources tell ESPN. If a roster spot eventually opens with LA, yes, the Lakers are a possible destination for Anthony.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 21, 2019
The way that the Wojnarowski phrases his tweet implies that if a spot should open up via trade, the Lakers would be interested in signing the former star. The NBA trade deadline of February 7th is fast approaching, and the Lakers would have to make moves prior to that date to be able to create a roster spot for Anthony without waiving one of their guaranteed players.
While it’s unlikely that the Lakers trade for a superstar with their current assets, they may trade for a point guard after the news of Lonzo Ball’s grade 3 left ankle sprain was announced. While a grade 3 sprain is likely more serious than the four-to-six week timeframe suggests, the Lakers still have hopes of making the playoffs. Doing so without one of their best point guards will be tough, so the team will have to get creative at the trade deadline to save the season already plagued with injuries.
Personally, I don’t think that the Lakers should make moves that would free up a roster spot for an aged former star with a superiority complex. I would go so far as to say that I would be disappointed if the Lakers used an open spot on Anthony. But if LeBron James believes in him, maybe I should start doing the same.
