Predicting potential destinations for Carmelo Anthony this off-season

PORTLAND, OREGON - FEBRUARY 23: Carmelo Anthony #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers is introduced to the starting lineup prior to taking on the Detroit Pistons during their game at Moda Center on February 23, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

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Carmelo Anthony, Portland Trail Blazers. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

Team No. 5: Portland Trail Blazers

And this is the one we want.

As said, Carmelo Anthony has stated that he wants to retire in Portland. And Anthony doesn’t strike me as the type that wants to finish his career like Vince Carter, meandering from team-to-team.

The beautiful thing is that not many teams around the league are going to want to cater to Anthony’s style in 2020. The Portland Trail Blazers have went out of their way to ensure Anthony could be himself.

At the same time, the Blazers went deep into the luxury tax, a 3.75 multiplier that cost the team more than 50,000 a day. It was a situation in which both parties needed one another. And at 36-years-old, Anthony probably isn’t trying to learn a different scheme.

The start of the Orlando play is going to be make-or-break for many relationships, in my estimation. It’ll tell us whether or not Anthony is compatible with the likes of Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic, or how he would be on a second unit.

dark. Next. A look at Jusuf Nurkic’s new body size

Still, Anthony has to love the camaraderie within the team already. Together, he, Lillard and McCollum have become a fearsome trio, producing a +3.08 net rating in 846 minutes of play. We couldn’t have predicted that a season or two ago, given the trajectory Anthony’s career was going.