LeBron James apparently wants to share some shine with Carmelo Anthony.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar wants his team to acquire the Houston Rockets forward, The Athletic’s Joe Vardon reported Thursday, citing an NBA source. James reportedly still considers Anthony, his good friend, to be a valuable contributor on an NBA court and doesn’t want his career to end with a whimper. James also believes his young Lakers teammates might benefit from another veteran presence.
However, James hasn’t pushed the Lakers to sign Anthony yet, according to Vardon.
” …Â sources said there had been no request made by James to Lakers president Magic Johnson or general manager Rob Pelinka to make a deal for his friend. Nor would there be.”
Anthony has been away from the Rockets since Nov. 15 when he and the team decided to end their union after just 10 games. However, Houston didn’t release Anthony and can’t trade him until Dec. 15.
The Lakers currently are 15-9 and own the fifth-best record in the Western Conference. Their encouraging start suggests they’ll likely make the playoffs, so tweaking the roster with an eye on the postseason makes sense.
Los Angeles would have to create a roster opening in order to sign Anthony. Then James would have to lead the effort to integrate Anthony into the group, something he’d probably relish doing.
