More than a year after he last took the court in a game, All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony is reportedly closing in on a deal to return to the NBA.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Portland Trail Blazers are signing Anthony to a non-guaranteed deal.
While Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant wanted Anthony to join the Brooklyn Nets and LeBron James was interested in them playing together in Los Angeles, Anthony remained without an NBA contract early in the season.
Now he’s finally set to get the opportunity he long desired. The 35-year-old forward last played for the Houston Rockets during the 2018-’19 season with his last appearance coming against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 8, 2018.
Anthony averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game across 10 appearances with the Rockets. Houston traded Anthony to the Chicago Bulls in January before Chicago waived him.
The 10-time All-Star forward could still provide some scoring for Portland given their lack of options at power forward. While Anthony’s days as a star for the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets are long gone, perhaps he can deliver some production for Portland in limited minutes.