NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers interest in Carmelo Anthony ‘luke warm’?
By Bryan Rose
While Carmelo Anthony has routinely been a staple of the NBA’s annual All-Star game, he hasn’t exactly been the type of franchise talent so many hoped he’d be when he came out of Syracuse. Given that, it’s understandable that the Los Angeles Lakers interest in signing the potential free agent is ‘luke warm’.
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Responding to a fan question, Basketball Insiders Style Kyler hinted that while the Lakers aren’t uninterested in Anthony, they’re not exactly enamored with the small forward either (though they do have significant interest in Kevin Love, which we all know).
“absolutely in Love – no assets to trade for him… Luke warm on Melo”
Anthony appears to be the prototypical talent who commands a max contract but unlike a Kobe Bryant, LeBron James or Tim Duncan, isn’t what you’d consider to be a franchise player and teams are understandably reluctant to pay that type of coin for a player who is difficult to build around, even if they have the bankroll of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Add in that it’s possible a player like LeBron James may opt out of his contract and there’s little reason for the Lakers to show much interest in Anthony when somebody like Rudy Gay, also potentially a free agent, would likely come cheaper.
As far as Anthony’s interest in the Lakers, that’s something has been kept under wraps though his wife, LaLa, stated on Saturday that she will have a say in where her husband signs and given her ties to Hollywood, it certainly makes for an interesting plot.
For now, it doesn’t seem like the Los Angeles Lakers are willing to commit to Anthony, though, we know how quickly things can change.