4 burning questions for the Los Angeles Lakers before free agency

EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 06: Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach Darvin Ham enters with Vice President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka before the introductory press conference at UCLA Health Training Center on June 06, 2022 in El Segundo, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 06: Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach Darvin Ham enters with Vice President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka before the introductory press conference at UCLA Health Training Center on June 06, 2022 in El Segundo, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers

Will the Los Angeles Lakers re-sign Carmelo Anthony?

Carmelo Anthony has carved out a nice role for himself. The former perennial all-star, who sat out virtually the entire 2018-19 season when no team would sign him, has shown he can be an excellent sixth man, providing instant offense off the bench.

Last season he fulfilled a personal goal by teaming up on the Lakers with his friend LeBron James. Melo performed pretty much as expected, averaging 13.3 points and shooting 37.5% from deep.

However, he also thought he would get an opportunity to compete for his first NBA championship. But the Lakers flopped badly, due primarily to injuries and poor roster construction.

Do Pelinka and the team want Melo back? Does he believe returning to the Lakers will give him a decent chance at capturing a title? Or will Melo prefer to chase a ring and sign elsewhere?

This one is hard to predict. We should find out the answer within the next couple of weeks.