Portland Trail Blazers: 5 free agency destinations for Carmelo Anthony
The Portland Trail Blazers may not have the finances to bring back Carmelo Anthony in 2021. Which five teams could use the NBA legend next season?
The Portland Trail Blazers cap situation is a complex one. With no cap room forecasted in the 2021 season, they may not be able to bring Carmelo Anthony back on a contract that he is happy with.
When Melo signed with the Blazers in 2019, it was on a veteran’s minimum non-guaranteed deal. There was no guarantee that he was going to play at the level he did in the 2020 season, so when he was signed, it was on a deal that posed no risk to the team.
This signing was a success though, and when Neil Olshey and the organization saw that he was adding value to the team, then this deal was fully guaranteed.
Melo had a great year production-wise in Portland. He rebounded well and shot the three-ball at 38.5 percent.
Fast forward to the 2020 playoffs, Melo actually raised his game. He got in better shape, he shot the three better, and was more active on defense. After his showing in 2019/20, Melo has a place in the NBA next season, but it may not be on the Trail Blazers.
The Blazers will likely only have the midlevel exception available in 2021, this will be around $10 million a season. Now if Melo thinks he is worth $6 – $8 million a year, which he may be on the open market, and we use this amount to sign him, then we can’t use this money to sign any other free agents.
I think a better use of this money is to sign people who can play defense at the forward positions. This means the Blazers may need to let him walk. He may only accept less money if he can play on a true contender.