While not initially considered one of the teams Carmelo Anthony would meet with, the Lakers contacted Melo and his agents at the start of free agency and have scheduled a meeting with the superstar for Thursday, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
The Lakers registered interest in Carmelo Anthony tonight and will be meeting with him on Thursday, source tells ESPN
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2014
Anthony has always been one of the top two priories for the Lakers, who still have a dream of signing both he and LeBron James this summer, but certainly would settle for just one of them. Nevertheless, the Lakers will be the last team to meet with Anthony as he makes his rounds from Chicago on Tuesday to Houston and Dallas on Wednesday before finishing in Los Angeles.
Both Melo and James will be the beginning pieces of a long domino of moves. Teams and free agents alike will be waiting on the duo to make their decision, whether it be together or separate, before making their own. Teams who miss out on the two will look to the likes of Luol Deng or Kyle Lowry or even Trevor Ariza to fill the void, Lakers included.
For now, the Lakers will offer their best sales pitch to Melo and his contingent and hope for the best, as they clearly intend on reloading this summer as opposed to rebuilding.