Last month, after the Houston Rockets decided to part ways with Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James tried to downplay any possibility of his old friend joining the Los Angeles Lakers.
"I have no idea to be honest," LeBron said at the time. "That's not a question to ask me."
But now, his tune has changed, and it sure seems like he wants Anthony on the Lakers. Following the Lakers' 115-110 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night, LeBron was asked again about the possibility of adding the veteran forward, and said he's "always wanted to play with Melo."
Last month in Orlando, LeBron said it wasn’t a question for him if Carmelo Anthony should join the Lakers. Tonight, he said he would love if the opportunity presents itself, and “obviously there’s some things that need to be worked out on both sides.” pic.twitter.com/jXyetKRauj
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) December 19, 2018
LeBron's full comment:
"We'll see. I don't run the team," James said. "There are obviously things that need to be worked out on both sides. But I've always wanted to play with Melo, and if the opportunity presents itself, it'll be great. So we'll see what happens."
That, obviously, is a much different response from last month, when he was pretty dismissive of the idea. Really, it was about as far as LeBron could go in terms of publicly asking his team to acquire another player -- one who is still technically under contract with another team.
Yes, despite their much-publicized breakup, the Rockets still haven't officially waived Anthony. As of this moment, the Lakers would have to make a trade in order to acquire him. That, despite LeBron's now public pressure to do so, seems unlikely. It would be one thing to take a flier on Anthony for the veteran's minimum, but after how he's looked the past few seasons, it would be unwise to give up an asset for him.
Plus, less than two weeks ago, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported that the Lakers have "no interest" in adding Anthony. We'll see if LeBron's comments change that stance.
