It's NBA free agency season once again and that means one thing, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to be linked to some of the most well-known names on the open market. While the Lakers have already made one big splash by trading for Russell Westbrook on draft night, they are not done reshaping their roster just yet and a number of well-known veterans are rumored to have an interest in joining forces with Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
According to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times, veteran forward Carmelo Anthony is just "waiting on a call" from Los Angeles front office once free agency officially opens on Monday evening.
This is far from the first time that Anthony and the Lakers have been linked since LeBron James took his talents from Cleveland to Los Angeles, and the potential for the two sides coming together on a deal seems much more likely this time around after Anthony's productive two-year stint with the Portland Trail Blazers. This past season, Anthony made 69 appearances for the Trail Blazers and averaged 13.4 points, while shooting 42 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc, to go along with 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 24.5 minutes per game.
In addition to Anthony's reported interest, a number of other veterans are rumored to be on the Lakers' radar including DeMar DeRozan, Trevor Ariza, Andre Iguodala and Wayne Ellington. Considering the fact that Los Angeles is clearly in "win-now" mode following the addition of Westbrook to the fold, it makes perfect sense that Rob Pelinka and the Lakers' front office would be targeting these types of battle-tested veterans as they fill out their roster for the 2021-22 campaign.
We'll find out soon enough whether or not that roster is one that includes Carmelo Anthony.
