Carmelo Anthony’s NBA career was filled with uncertainties. What if he had chosen the Detroit Pistons instead of the Denver Nuggets? What if he had joined forces with LeBron James earlier? Now, we can add another hypothetical scenario to the mix. In the most recent episode of his Brooklyn-based podcast, the iconic small forward disclosed that he came very close to becoming a member of the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant in 2011 (via Basketball on X). Evidently, the Denver Nuggets had already finalized a deal to trade him and Nene Hilario to the Lakers in exchange for Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum. “The agreement with the Lakers was set. Me and Nenê for Lamar Odom and Bynum. That deal was sealed. I never even considered New York… When they rejected that deal, it was like: Oh, you don’t want me in the West, so you’re going to send me to the East. Get me to New York,” Anthony revealed. The Nuggets had a deal in place to send Carmelo Anthony to the Lakers in 2011😳 “The agreement with the Lakers was set. Me and Nenê for Lamar Odom and Bynum. That deal was sealed. I never even considered New York… When they rejected that deal, it was like: Oh, you don’t want me… pic.twitter.com/7z0EeX4Mzo — BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BasketballOnX) February 20, 2024. The Nuggets ultimately scrapped the deal, and Anthony expressed that it became apparent that they did not want him in the Western Conference. However, he had not even contemplated joining the New York Knicks before that. Eventually, Anthony returned to his hometown in a monumental trade that benefited both organizations, but he was unable to guide the team to an NBA championship. Anthony had to spend the prime years of his career in the Eastern Conference, while LeBron James and the Miami Heat’s Big 3 dominated the Conference. Perhaps, if he had teamed up with Kobe, he might have had a genuine opportunity to compete for a championship ring. How would people perceive him differently now? And how would Kobe be regarded if he had matched Michael Jordan’s six rings?
According to the Source thecoldwire.com