Carmelo Anthony has had failed situations with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets, who had hoped the OKC-Melo experiment last season was an aberration.
However, despite back-to-back disappointing stints, the veteran could be getting another chance with another NBA team. According to a report from Sam Amick and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Anthony has "multiple options available," and plans to make a decision on his NBA future prior to the Feb. 7 trade deadline.
According to two sources with knowledge of Anthony's situation, the exiled 10-time All-Star who remains on the Houston Rockets roster has multiple options available and is expected to pick one before the Feb. 7 trade deadline. There is no clarity as to whether he would be traded in these scenarios or waived and subsequently signed, but there are strong signs that he will play in the NBA again.
In addition, the report also suggest that the Los Angeles Lakers remain tied to the star more than any other team, but would have to waive a player to sign Anthony if he got waived himself. Amick and Vardon also report that Anthony's "conditioning," and "overall state of his game" are key factors in any potential deal with the Lakers.
Anthony has been away from the Rockets since he last played on Nov. 8 -- a 98-80 loss to the Thunder. In that contest, he struggled mightily, scoring just two points on 1-of-11 shooting against his former team.
The Rockets originally signed Anthony to a $2.4 million contract after being dealt to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a three-team trade this past offseason. The Hawks ended up buying out Anthony shortly after the deal was completed. That came after Anthony had a rocky lone season as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who acquired him from the New York Knicks the previous summer.
If Anthony ends up being waived by Houston, the franchise is responsible for paying the remainder of his salary. It's unclear if the Rockets plan to work out a trade for Anthony or if they will simply cut their losses.
In 10 games with Houston, Anthony averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting just 32.8 percent from beyond the arc. During his lone season with the Thunder, Anthony put together averages of 16.2 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting just 35.7 percent from beyond the arc.
It's unclear what the future holds for Anthony, but it would make sense for the 15-year veteran to land with a contending team at this stage of his career.
