Carmelo Anthony Reveals He Was Almost Traded To Lakers In 2011

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Carmelo Anthony’s NBA career was full of what-ifs.

What if he had gone to the Detroit Pistons instead of the Denver Nuggets?

What if he had teamed up with LeBron James earlier?

Now, we can add another one to that list.

In the latest edition of his 7 PM on Brooklyn podcast, the legendary small forward revealed that he was pretty close to joining Kobe Bryant in the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011 (via Basketball on X).

Apparently, the Denver Nuggets already had a deal in place to send him and Nene Hilario to the Lakers in exchange for Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum.

“The deal was done with the Lakers. Me and Nenê for Lamar Odom and Bynum. That deal was done. I never thought about New York… When they turned that deal down, now it’s like: Oh, y’all don’t want me in the West, gonna send me to the East. Get me to New York,” Anthony said.

Denver Nuggets had a deal done to send Carmelo Anthony to the Lakers in 2011

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The Nuggets eventually killed the deal and Anthony stated that it had become evident that they didn’t want him in the Western Conference.

However, he hadn’t even considered joining the New York Knicks before that.

Eventually, Anthony took his talents back to his hometown in a huge blockbuster deal that worked out well for both franchises, but he was unable to lead the team to an NBA championship.

Anthony had to spend his prime in the East while the Conference was ruled by LeBron James and the Miami Heat’s Big 3.

Perhaps, he could’ve had a legitimate chance to play for a ring if he had teamed up with Kobe.

How differently would people think of him now?

And what would have people said of Kobe if he had tied Michael Jordan with six rings?

The post Carmelo Anthony Reveals He Was Almost Traded To Lakers In 2011 appeared first on The Cold Wire.