It is almost impossible to envision Carmelo Anthony playing for anyone other than the New York Knicks in the 2010s.
However, the 41-year-old has revealed that traded mid-way through the 2010-11 NBA season a deal to the Los Angeles Lakers was initially put in place, before it ultimately fell through.
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Carmelo Anthony revealed that he was almost traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011 instead of the KnicksCredit: Getty
Making an appearance alongside Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade on iHeart’s WY Network, via X user NBALakersReport, the 10-time All-Star revealed all
While Melo made it to NYC, it is the trade from the Denver Nuggets to the City of Angels that never transpired that is fascinating fans.
“‘I’m not saying that I want to get out of here [Denver], but y’all gotta show me your cards,'” Anthony told Wade of what he said to the Nuggets in June, 2010.
“I went to a baseball game [with front office staff]…we had a good time and we talked like men, and we figured it out, like ‘I understand where you at, let’s make this happen.’
“Here’s the teams – Chicago [Bulls], the deal was done with the Lakers. It was me and Nenê for Lamar Odom and [Andrew] Bynum. That deal was done. I never thought about New York.
“But then, when they turned that deal down, now it’s like, ‘Oh, y’all don’t want me in the West. You’re gonna send me to the East.’ Get me to New York.”
“The deal never was with New York, it was with New Jersey [now Brooklyn Nets]. So when it was All-Star weekend, the deal was with the New Jersey Nets.
“George Karl had a deal with Utah behind the scenes for Derrick Favors … and he thought he was a Nene-type power forward.
“He wanted him to be the next Nene, so I had to go. So I ended up in New York, but that deal wasn’t supposed to happen.”
With the Purple and Gold chasing their second three-peat since the turn of the millennium, a big-three of Anthony, Pau Gasol and the late Kobe Bryant would have been frightening for all 29 other teams.
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Melo dished all on nearly being traded to the Lakers before winding up in NYCCredit: X/ @NBALakersReport
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James (L), Wade (C) and Anthony (R) were all part of the 2008 USA Men’s National Team that won Olympic gold in BeijingCredit: Getty
The deal fell through as the league refused to give Bryant another superstar teammate, just months after then-NBA commissioner the late David Stern infamously vetoed a trade between the Lakers and the then-New Orleans Hornets for a prime Chris Paul.
It would take the Lakers a decade to recover from missing out on both Paul and Anthony, not lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy until the Covid 19-riddled 2020 bubble season,
It was LeBron James to lead the Lakers to championship number 17.
For Anthony, his move back to his native New York Citywas a huge success, where he showcased his scoring brilliance on a nightly basis under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.
With the Knicks, Anthony would be named an All-Star in all six of his full seasons with the organization and averaged 24.7 points, shooting at a 44.3 percent clip and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc.
He would also tally seven assists and 3.2 rebounds, as well as one steal per game before eventually departing from New York in 2017.
NBA’s Greatest
Melo became something of a journeyman in his 30s, enjoying brief spells with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trail Blazers before ending his stellar 19-year career in 2022 with that long-awaited move to the Lakers.
Although Melo retired having amassed 28,289 points, 7,808 rebounds and 3,422 assists, as well as having been named an All-Star on 10 occasions, earned six All-NBA nods, and was the league’s scoring champion in 2013, he was never able to get his hands on the coveted championship trophy.
Had the trade to Los Angeles gone through back in 2011, a glaring hole on an otherwise gleaming resumé may have been filled.
Carmelo Anthony reveals he ripped up the New York Knicks locker room after shock trade with LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers
His legacy remains intact, and Anthony was a headline name in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025, alongside former Lakers teammate Dwight Howard and WNBA trailblazers Maya Moore, Sue Bird, and Sylvia Fowles.
The 2008 USA Men’s National Team, also known as the ‘Redeem Team’ that won Olympic gold who Anthony was a prominent part of, is also being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
He still remains the only player to represent Team USA who has three Olympic gold medals to his name.
Anthony, who was also named as the cover athlete for the ‘Superstar Edition’ of the video game NBA 2K26, has since revealed that he has selected close friend Wade and former Nuggets teammate, and Philadelphia 76ers icon, Allen Iverson as his HOF induction presenters.
The honor has not been lost on Wade, who took to his Instagram story to share the announcement, and encapsulated his feelings about being chosen with just one word: “Honored!”