Suns' Kevin Durant on Carmelo Anthony: 'I Think He Has the Talent to Play in' NBA

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant believes Carmelo Anthony still has something to contribute in the NBA.

"I think he has the talent to play in our league," the 13-time All-Star told Bally Sports' Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson.

Anthony remains unsigned after spending the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Lakers. In 69 games with L.A., he averaged 13.3 points and shot 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Following his brief spell with the Houston Rockets in 2018-19, the 38-year-old was a free agent for so long that some argued he was being blackballed. He didn't find a new home until signing with the Portland Trail Blazers in November 2019.

Maybe Anthony was being deliberately frozen out. A simpler explanation is that teams were concerned whether he'd successfully adapt to a more limited off-ball role after having ran the show for so long with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.

With both the Blazers and Lakers, the 6'7" forward silenced his skeptics by doing just that.

However, Anthony's defense — or lack thereof — becomes a more glaring issue in the postseason, which is undoubtedly a consideration for any team that might want to sign him.

The Blazers had a minus-16.0 net rating with him on the court during the 2021 postseason, per NBA.com. It was a similar story during the 2020 playoffs (minus-17.1 net rating).

The 38-year-old said in December he had made peace with the fact a return to the Association may not be on the cards.

Especially at this point in the year, it's difficult to see a team picking him up, and going a full year without playing won't help his odds of landing a contract this summer.