Carmelo Anthony wants to play basketball next season and is committed to showing teams he still has something to offer. One of the potential suitors that could make sense for him is the Brooklyn Nets, and their two most important players are apparently on board with signing the 10-time All-Star.
In fact, they’re encouraging it.
Frank Isola of The Athletic reports that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have been “pushing” the Nets to sign Anthony. Carmelo recently trained with a group of Nets players in Los Angeles, and general manager Sean Marks got a closer look at him during an informal workout. It’s unclear if Marks wants to sign Anthony, but there are a few reasons he could be persuaded.
For starters, Durant is not going to play at all in his first season in Brooklyn. That opens up a spot on the roster for another scorer, and the 35-year-old Anthony is confident he can still find ways to put the ball in the hoop. Another thing working in Carmelo’s favor is that the NBA announced on Thursday that Nets forward Wilson Chandler has been suspended 25 games for testing positive for a banned substance.
Anthony’s recent workouts in LA are said to have gone well, as one Nets source told Isola that he “certainly helped his cause” and “his body looked great.”
While Marks will have the final say with regard to Anthony, having an endorsement from both Irving and Durant is obviously significant. Carmelo insists he is still playing at a high enough level to contribute and recently accused the Rockets of cutting ties with him for non-basketball reasons. He’s also a Brooklyn native, so the Nets may be his best chance at a last chance.
