NBA Rumors: McCollum, Lillard have reached out to Carmelo about joining Blazers

Trail Blazers stars C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard have tried to sell Carmelo Anthony on joining them in Portland.

Carmelo Anthony is still intent on moving on from the New York Knicks. At last report, Carmelo has his sights set on joining Chris Paul and James Harden in Houston with the Rockets. That hasn’t stopped Portland Trail Blazers stars C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard from reaching out to Carmelo in an effort to bring him to Portland.

Joe Freeman of The Oregonian tweeted out the following information.

News of Carmelo possibly going to Portland came about last week when the Blazers reportedly  didn’t want to be involved in trade talks with the Knicks unless they were the team receiving the disgruntled star. McCollum fanned the flames of “Melo to Rip City” when he posted a photoshopped picture of Carmelo rocking a Blazers jersey.

Anthony quickly dismissed the rumors, making it clear that he has his heart set on Houston.

The Knicks held some belief that they could retain Anthony following the dismissal of Phil Jackson and the subsequent hiring of Scott Perry.

The Blazers finished eighth in the Western Conference last season, losing in four games to the Golden State Warriors in the first round. While they’ve watched teams like Houston, Oklahoma City, Denver and Minnesota all get better during the offseason, they’ve yet to make a big splash. This is mainly due to handing out big money contracts to Evan Turner and Allen Crabbe last offseason. Should the Blazers acquire the services of Anthony, Crabbe or Turner would likely be headed the other way.

Pairing Anthony with the high volume shooting and scoring of McCollum and Lillard could give the Blazers an offensive juggernaut. All three players have averaged 20 or more points per game in each of the last two seasons.

Next: Could Portland get Carmelo in buyout?

While a trade to Portland still seems unlikely, Blazers fans can rest easy in knowing that their two stars are doing everything in their power to keep up in the West arms race.