Carmelo Anthony is finally back in the NBA. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Portland Trail Blazers added Anthony to their roster on Friday, signing him to a non-guaranteed deal.
Anthony hasn’t played in the league since early in the 2018/19 NBA season when he was a member of Houston Rockets.
Wojnarowski reports that Melo will join the Blazers for the team’s upcoming road trip, which kicks off on Saturday. He is expected to get minutes right away, as the team became worryingly thin on the forward position after Zach Collins’ injury.
Blazers have been trying to get Anthony ever since it became clear he would leave New York Knicks, but fell short on several occasions. This time, however, Melo jumped on the opportunity as it was a rare chance for him to get back into the game.
Portland has been struggling this season, currently sitting at the lower level of Western Conference standings with a 4-8 record. They especially had problems with scoring, as Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum account for almost half of the team’s points in a single game.
By plugging in a proven scorer in Carmelo Anthony, Blazers hope they could add another scoring option to their offense and improve their anemic forward core. And while we will have to wait and see how Anthony will fit in Portland, the team’s players are already welcoming the help.
“I believe he can help us,” – Lillard told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols when asked about Melo’s arrival. “Obviously I’d like to see our early-season struggles turn around, and hopefully we can be part of a great bounce-back for Melo as well.”
