Portland will have some tough roster decisions to make this summer. Thinking long-term, bringing Carmelo Anthony back could have more positive ripple effects than we imagined.
The connection between a higher power and the NBA has always been a fascinating study. Charles Barkley once remarked that “God wants us to win the world championship” during the 1993 NBA Finals, unfortunately the first of many inaccurate predictions to come. And even the NBA’s memorable example — “God disguised as Michael Jordan” — ended in crushing defeat.
So, in hearing Carmelo Anthony discuss where he aspires to play next season and profess that he “prays it could be Portland,” one couldn’t help but be a bit taken aback. Would this be the first time in NBA history that a player of Anthony’s worldwide market appeal publicly made the Blazers a No. 1 priority?
As is normally the nature of sub .500, first-round exit franchises, the Trail Blazers should have quite the list of wrinkles to iron out this offseason. Among the top of them, re-signing Anthony should be there, for two major reasons.
For starters — and this is hypothetical — understanding the “pull” and respect Anthony has around the league could bode well for the Blazers in the long term, and how they recruit. And secondly: signing Anthony provides them with the depth needed to make the ultimate cap-space saver.
Let’s discuss that first one. Like Anthony, the players he earned his stripes alongside are on the back ends of their careers. But the trickle down effects of being a basketball phenomenon means he has an indelible impact on the next generation.
Players of this generation — think Jayson Tatum, Rui Hachimura — have at some point coronated Anthony as their favorite player. The remarkable 2016 NBA Draft class ranked him their No. 2 favorite player in the NBA, which speaks to his Gen Z influence. Along those lines, it was telling to see how former teammates viewed him. Take Jerami Grant in Mike Singer’s Denver Post article in December.
"While there, Grant said he picked Anthony’s brain and tried to incorporate some of his jump shooting skill-set into his own game. Knowing firsthand what Anthony was like as a teammate, he also rejected some of the stereotypes that have dogged him throughout his career.“I think the NBA, whenever you get a label, it’s tough for people to shake the label,” Grant said. “Great dude, extremely talented player still at this stage in his career. People just kind of make up their own narratives and go off those.”"
That isn’t to say that Anthony’s presence, ironically in present-time, nor in the future, will make Portland a hub for mid-tier free agents. But it’s certainly a bridge worth continuing to build. It further strengthens the identity of the franchise going forward within the NBA fraternity. Carmelo Anthony has tons left to give, tons to offer on-court, as well as off-court. Re-signing him offers mutual benefits.
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And then there’s the aspect of how it could assist the Blazers, as it relates to building their roster this offseason.
In between Anthony, Gary Trent Jr., Trevor Ariza, Rodney Hood, Nassir Little, Wenyen Gabriel and Mario Hezonja, the Blazers’ forward situation reads as one of the deepest swingman groups without a definitive star. Multifaceted forwards are at a premium in today’s NBA. But it’s difficult to imagine how the Blazers are going to find steady playing time for each of them, assuming there’s a point where they’re all healthy.
Trevor Ariza, contractually, is the most interesting of them all. He has a $12.8 million contract, but with only $1.8 guaranteed. Ariza’s 21-game segue in Portland left very little to complain about; he played his role to a tee. To play devil’s advocate, it feels like the Blazers could add one, perhaps even two key pieces with that $11.0 million. It’s a well known fact too; Ariza’s name has swirled in offseason trade rumors for this very reason.
This, in my eyes, makes Carmelo Anthony the most interesting Blazer going forward. He proved this summer that he could succeed in stretches, as both a small forward and a “4.”
Paired with Gary Trent Jr.’s emergence, his two-way play in that Lakers series could have loosened the confines on how Portland operates in this year’s free agency, as it relates to the Ariza situation. Could it open the door for a Jerami Grant? Or cheaper, a Paul Millsap or Jae Crowder? A Moe Harkless return? Rondae-Hollis Jefferson?
Of course, signing Anthony, and then seeing Ariza out of Portland will be contingent on both how much faith the Blazers have in Anthony maintaining that defensive intensity in the regular season, and in his willingness in his role potentially fluctuating. But the positives outweigh negatives, as well as the uncertainty. And for that reason, the ripple effects of re-signing Anthony will be must-watch.