Lakers Rumors: LA Exploring Re-Signing Carmelo Anthony This Summer

According to a recent report, the Lakers are exploring the possibility of bringing back Carmelo Anthony for next season.

The Lakers made waves last summer by signing mainly aging veterans on the downside of their careers. LA's gambit didn't pay off. Both due to injury, and a lack of bench production, the Lakers finished 11th in the Western Conference (33-49) and were the laughingstock of the league. Even Steph Curry made sure to call out the Lakers for their veteran signings while hosting the ESPYs this week. But one of the few veterans who did contribute was Carmelo Anthony.

According to Evan Massey of HoopAnalysisNet, the Lakers are apparently open to the idea of using their final roster spot on Carmelo Anthony.  

Per source, the Lakers have had productive talks towards bringing Carmelo Anthony back. However, there are still a couple of other teams in the mix.

Anthony was a valuable scorer off the bench. He averaged 13.3 points per game and converted 37.5% of his three-point attempts. Melo was at his best at Crypto.com Arena. He averaged 14.6 points per game and shot an impressive 42.7% from three in 35 home games for the Lakers. He produced a plus-minus rating of +3.5 at home and -8.9 on the road.

Considering the current state of the Lakers roster and cap sheet, they could only offer Melo the veteran's minimum. The signing could be a net positive since Anthony embraced his role as a bench scorer and never made waves in the media with not starting games for the Lakers.

However, Melo could be lured to another team with stronger odds of making a deep playoff run this coming season.