NBA Rumors: LeBron wanted Lakers to sign Melo last summer

NBA Rumors: According to a report, LeBron James would’ve welcomed Carmelo Anthony with open arms last summer, but the Lakers didn’t want to sign him

Now that Carmelo Anthony is officially back in the NBA, after signing recently with the Portland Trail Blazers, it was expected to hear whispers to what really happened and what didn’t during his time away from the league.

And one of those “did they or didn’t they,” revolves around the Los Angeles Lakers. There was plenty of smoke when LeBron James signed with the Lakers last year, suggesting that they would follow up that move by signing Melo.

Clearly, that didn’t end up happening, but it was a move that made all the sense in the world. The Lakers were trying to fill their roster with makeshift moves, and signing Melo would’ve fit the mold. In the end, it didn’t work out, but according to a recent report, it wasn’t because LeBron didn’t want it to happen.

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"Anthony had the blessing of James, league sources told Yahoo Sports, but the front office chose to go in a different direction."

This is par for the course. This was the expectation. I don’t think this report would’ve surfaced had LeBron not wanted to play with Carmelo Anthony.

Nevertheless, it is interesting that the Lakers, despite their depth issues, wanted nothing to do with Melo.

I suppose things ended up working out for both Melo, to a certain extent, and the Lakers but it is a “what if” that will always be thought of in my mind. We never got to see LeBron and Melo play in the NBA together in their primes, and now will probably never see it.

Even in the twilight of their careers, it would’ve been interesting to see two good friends play together to close a chapter of their lives.