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Los Angeles Lakers: 4 reasons not to pursue Carmelo Anthony

By Kenneth Teape

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 21: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder cheers from the bench in the first half during Game Three of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on April 21, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 21: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder cheers from the bench in the first half during Game Three of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on April 21, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers: 4 reasons not to pursue Carmelo Anthony
Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images /

1. Stunting the growth of the younger players

The Lakers have an impressive core of young talent. If those players are going to continue improving and reach their ceilings they will need reps on the court. Adding another player, specifically, someone of Anthony’s stature would hurt that development.

The Lakers have quite a logjam in the frontcourt. Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma are the holdovers with LeBron James and Lance Stephenson being signed. Rookies Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Moritz Wagner should also factor into the frontcourt equation.

With Anthony’s resistance to coming off the bench, that would further complicate things. If two of the players from the above paragraph isn’t starting, it will be virtually impossible for Luke Walton to find minutes for all of them. James should be manning the power forward spot more often than not with Kuzma backing up both forward spots. Ingram should be the starting small forward with Stephenson backing him up.

Ingram and Kuzma are the players an Anthony signing would impact the most. Los Angeles has resisted trading away their young talent thus far this offseason. Signing Anthony would go against that.

Next: Grading The Lakers Free Agency Thus Far and Potential Moves

The front office of Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka know that players such as Ingram and Kuzma are important to the Lakers both now and in the future. They are an integral part of the Lakers plan and should not be sacrificing any more minutes than they will already have to.

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