Los Angeles Lakers: 5 max free agents that snubbed the team

4. Carmelo Anthony

In the summer of 2014, Carmelo Anthony had a chance to leave the struggling New York Knicks, which did not meet expectations during his tenure, and join another team with better chances to win a championship. The Lakers were in the mix and the favorites in Melo’s sweepstakes, besides the Knicks.

The All-Star forward decided, in the end, to extend his stay in MSG, convinced by Phil Jackson‘s taking over.

Anthony made a big mistake. His prolonged time in New York never turned into playoff qualification and became a nightmare for both him and Jackson, leading to their dismissal.

Jackson stepped down from his role of President of Basketball Operations in 2017, while Melo was traded a year later to the Oklahoma City Thunder. After yet another unsuccessful run in OKC and a brief stint in Houston, he now finds himself without a team, marked as an aging, selfish player who only minds scoring and incapable of winning.

Had he signed with Los Angeles, maybe the Lakers would have been able to build a competent team around him, giving him a chance to compete and extending his career, easing his transition from superstar to the second option without generating all the negativity that now surrounds the veteran.