When the Portland Trail Blazers signed Carmelo Anthony in November, the contract for the former All-Star forward was non-guaranteed. Given the length of his absence from the NBA, the details of the agreement were anything but shocking. However, Anthony’s play in the early going has drawn all kinds of attention, ranging from praise from LeBron James to a notable Western Conference Player of the Week honor, and his contract will now reportedly reflect that uptick.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski brings word that the Blazers will change Anthony’s contract to be fully guaranteed for the remainder of the 2019-20 campaign.
The Trail Blazers will amend Carmelo Anthony’s contract so that it becomes fully guaranteed for the remainder of the season, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 6, 2019
Anthony’s original pact was for a pro-rated league minimum salary of just over $1.3 million and, as a result of the amendment, it appears that the 35-year-old will collect the full amount. In eight games with Portland, Anthony is averaging 16.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and, for a team that was desperate for offensive punch at the power forward position, he has provided it. Perhaps most notably, Anthony is converting 38.7 percent of his three-point attempts and he is being respected as a floor spacer by opposing defenses.
It remains to be seen as to how Anthony’s role might change if and when he cools off from an efficiency standpoint. Still, the Blazers have seen more than enough to ensure that he will be around for the long haul and, in this case, that means more guaranteed money for Anthony.
