Brooklyn Nets: 5 free agents the team could pursue this offseason
By Sameer Kumar
#1 Carmelo Anthony – Portland Trail Blazers
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant reportedly vouched for the Nets to bring Carmelo Anthony into the fold. This was during the time where it seemed like his career might be over following his disastrous stint with the Houston Rockets.
However, the 10-time all-star has had a renaissance season with the Portland Trail Blazers, as he’s averaging 15.3 points on a solid 42.6 percent shooting mark to go along with 5.3 rebounds per game.
Something to keep in mind is that he’s shown a willingness to defer to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum on the offensive end this season; something he would probably have had trouble doing in the past.
In return, the Blazers are a 112.8 rated team offensively with Melo on the floor as opposed to 109.9 with him off of it. The Nets are 22nd in the league in offensive net rating at 107.8, and although it is worth noting that Kyrie Irving only suited up for 20 games this season and Kevin Durant suited up for none, this team could still probably use one more scorer with the clout of Melo on their roster.
We all know Melo’s multi-faceted abilities on the offensive end. He could hit pull-up jumpers, drive to the rack, shoot the three-ball and attract multiple defenders each and every time he touches the ball because if you leave him open, he’s going to score. It’s as simple as that. Imagine adding that to Kyrie and KD?
The only question that remains is if Brooklyn would guarantee him a spot in the starting lineup, and if they do, do they still have him play more with the second unit and effectively serve as the scoring punch they need off the bench? That would probably better serve Melo and the Nets because everyone and their mother knows that Melo loves to get his shots up on a nightly basis.
Next. The kids were never given a fair shot. dark
Now that Melo has proven that he’s willing to sacrifice his stats for the betterment of his team, and the teams best players want him on board, it’s time for Marks and company to seriously look into the Syracuse product and perhaps give him a chance to add an NBA championship to his résumé in addition to his NCAA championship.