The free agent Carmelo anthony agreed to a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, his manager Bay Frazier told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Anthony, 37, spent the past two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, playing a bench role last season averaging 13.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 69 games. Anthony signed with the Blazers in 2019 after being out of the league for most of the previous season.
After being traded by the New York Knicks to Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017, Anthony had a bumpy season with the Thunder as the team fell short of expectations, then was traded to the Atlanta Hawks the following offseason and was immediately released.
Anthony signed with the Houston Rockets and agreed to play a bench role for the contending team led by James harden Y Chris paul, but he was placed on waivers after only 10 games. Anthony was not signed by another team that season, putting the future of his NBA career in doubt.
But the Blazers offered a lifeline and Anthony accepted the role and the opportunity to contribute to a Western Conference playoff team. He started all 58 games of his first season with Portland as they dealt with a series of injuries, but came off the bench in 66 of his 69 appearances last season.
Anthony, a future Hall of Famer, was ranked in the top 10 in scoring of all time last season, beating Elvin Hayes. Anthony is currently at 27,370 points, just 39 points behind Moses Malone for the ninth of all time.
Anthony, a 10-time All-Star, has played 18 NBA seasons. He won the scoring title with the Knicks in 2012-13, averaging 28.7 points. Anthony spent 10 consecutive seasons in the top 10 in scoring and finished runner-up for the scoring title twice in that stretch.
– Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) August 3, 2021
The Lakers also agreed to an agreement with the shooting guard on Tuesday. Malik Monksources told Wojnarowski.
The 22-year-old Monk enjoyed a solid fourth season with the Charlotte Hornets, averaging 11.7 points per game and shooting a career-high 40.1% from 3-point range last season.
The Hornets did not extend a qualifying offer to Monk, making him a free agent.
ESPN’s Royce Young and Tim Bontemps contributed to this story.