The NBA is currently wrapped up in a heated debate about double teams in pickup games, but before that news cycle began, one of the biggest topics of conversation among fans was Carmelo Anthony’s future in the league. Despite his best efforts, Anthony has been unable to land anywhere following his departure from the Houston Rockets last year, whether that be on an NBA roster or with the national team for the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
Perhaps history would have been a bit different if the last two years weren’t as rough as they were for Anthony. His stop in Oklahoma City did not go as planned, while his time in Houston came to an abrupt end. Maybe a different change of scenery would have been better, and thanks to Kendrick Perkins, we learned on Wednesday that LeBron James tried to provide Anthony with a place to hoop.
Perk, in a pair of tweets on Wednesday morning, claimed that James advocated for Anthony to come to Cleveland when the two were still on the Cavaliers. Management, however, was not as keen on that idea and turned LeBron down.
How do you know Bron haven’t went to the Lakers and told them to sign Melo? I’ve witnessed GMs Tell Bron no several times! Bron tried to get Melo in Cleveland and the Cavs told him no!
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) August 21, 2019
Man Bron told the Cavs he wanted Melo and they Cavs said no to him.
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) August 21, 2019
It’s unclear when this happened, or if it was something that occurred on a few occasions instead of a one-time plea that James made to Cavs management. It does stand to reason that the most likely time that this could have occurred is during the 2017 offseason — which saw Anthony traded from the Knicks to the Thunder — as he requested a trade, New York was looking around to find a suitor for him, and Cleveland had just lost in the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors. The timeline does match up, as Perkins was on the Cavs’ roster during the 2017-18 season. He signed a deal on the same day the Thunder acquired Anthony, but spent most of that season in the G League.
Perkins was also on the Cavaliers in 2014-15, the first year James was in Cleveland during his second spell with the franchise, but it’s hard to imagine that LeBron would have advocated for a Melo move at that point unless it was to acquire him instead of Kevin Love. There were, additionally, rumors that the Cavs and Knicks tried working out a deal for Anthony prior to the 2017 trade deadline, so maybe that’s what Perk is talking about.
Regardless of when it occurred, maybe things would have gone different for Anthony if he got to play beside James. At the very least, it would have been fun to watch.
