– Would take away minutes from the young core
One of the best things that the Lakers have going for them is their impressive young core. Over the past few years, the Lakers have done a very good job building through the NBA Draft. This has resulted in them drafting players like Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart.
With the young core, the Lakers were really starting to improve last season, and so far the results have been good with LeBron James. Adding Anthony into the mix would throw a big wrench into the rotation. As primarily a power forward now, Anthony would be taking minutes away from mainly Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram.
As two hybrid type players, Kuzma is able to play either forward position, and Ingram spends time at both guard and forward. Adding Anthony would mean that at least 20 minutes per game would be going to a veteran on the decline.
Anthony might still be able to score in the NBA, but he isn’t a great rebounder, and has never been a good defender in his career. The Lakers certainly don’t need to add a forward that can’t rebound or play defense, as that was a bit of an issue early in the season.