Could Carmelo Anthony help the Los Angeles Lakers more than the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder?
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday that the Lakers maintain an interest in Anthony -- who was waived by the Chicago Bulls -- and he could be a target for L.A. if the team eventually opens up a roster spot, though the Lakers have no plans to waive a player to create the room.
Let's take a look at whether Melo would be a fit with the Lakers.
Can Melo find a fit in L.A.?
Anthony's stock has never been lower, with two contenders (Houston and Oklahoma City) deciding he wasn't part of their 2018-19 plans. While the Lakers' interest in Melo is natural given his desire to play with close friend LeBron James, it's not clear the fit would be any better in L.A.
Consider that the Lakers already have a pair of high-scoring combo forwards in a similar mold to Anthony on the roster. Kyle Kuzma has been arguably the Lakers' second-best player this season after James, and as a key part of the franchise's future, Kuzma is unlikely to cede any minutes to Anthony.
That would leave Anthony competing for the limited playing time Michael Beasley had been getting when the Lakers were at full strength. Before he left the team to be with his mother prior to her death from cancer last month, Beasley had totaled just 71 minutes in the team's first 25 games. Only after Beasley rejoined a roster thinned out by the absence of James and Rajon Rondo did he find regular playing time.
Since then, Beasley has been terrific, averaging 28.7 points per 36 minutes with a .569 true shooting percentage during the 12.7 minutes he's averaged in the past nine games. While Beasley is unlikely to keep playing quite that well, the fact is he's been more effective playing the same style as Anthony over the span of the past three seasons. Their per-36-minute numbers are similar aside from Beasley's superior rebounding and scoring efficiency (as measured by true shooting percentage, which accounts for 3-pointers and free throws).
The Lakers would probably be better off giving any extra minutes at forward to Beasley rather than Anthony, and that's before considering the possibility that Anthony plays ahead of the team's superior wing options off the bench. Although Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Josh Hart have been only average 3-point shooters this season, they're far better defensively than Anthony and more comfortable playing without the ball.
While the Lakers' struggling offense could use help aside from just the return of James, Anthony doesn't look like the answer. He won't supply enough of the outside shooting the Lakers could use to compensate for his defensive shortcomings.
Previously attempts to pair up the aging members of the Banana Boat crew have ended unsuccessfully, with the Rockets quickly deciding Anthony did not fit on a team including friend Chris Paul and James' Cavaliers deciding to trade Dwyane Wade after less than a full season in Cleveland. It's unlikely a Melo-LeBron pairing would work out any better.