Carmelo Anthony Rumors: Reps Fighting 'Scapegoat' Narrative, Pursuing New Deal
Carmelo Anthony's representatives are "aggressively" attempting to protect his image as the 10-time All-Star looks to continue his NBA career, according to Heavy.com's Sean Deveney.
A source told Deveney:
"He has been the scapegoat for a few teams that didn't play up to their potential. Obviously that is sticking with him. They're showing teams he can play, but they’re also making the case that the negative reputation stuff is BS, that he is not a team-killer, that other people put blame on him the last few years that he didn't deserve."
Anthony found himself seemingly against the organization near the end of his seven-year run with the New York Knicks. And when he teamed up with Russell Westbrook and Paul George with the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was Anthony who was the target of criticism, as he refused to come off the bench.
His run with the Houston Rockets in 2018-19 lasted all of 10 games, and he did not appear in an NBA game after Nov. 8. Houston ultimately traded him to the Chicago Bulls in January, with the Bulls later waiving the former NBA scoring champ.
As Anthony remained unsigned throughout the second half of the season and into the offseason, a lot was said about him, with some questioning if his career was over. While he initially opted to remain quiet, he broke his silence last month as he attempted to set the record straight on ESPN's First Take:
Anthony said during that interview that he didn't want to come off the bench in OKC because nobody talked to him about the role. He acknowledged it was "very hard" for him to accept a bench role in Houston, where he made just two starts, but he was willing to be a team player.
Though the "politics" of the NBA had rubbed him the wrong way as he had been left in purgatory, he noted that he has continued to work out as he prepares for a potential opportunity in the future.
According to Deveney, Anthony's reps are not only trying to discredit the notion that he was the problem in his most recent stops, but they are trying to sell teams on him being a valuable presence in the locker room. His savviness with the media could be a positive, per Deveney, as he would "keep the spotlight off other stars" who may not be comfortable with all of the media attention.
Anthony reportedly believes he'd be a good fit with the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers or Brooklyn Nets.
