Carmelo Anthony Reveals How Close He Was to Teaming With Lakers Legend

As shocking as it may sound, Anthony's trade to the Knicks was very close to never happening at all. On a 2024 episode of "Time Out with Dwayne Wade" , Anthony revealed that he was nearly dealt to the then-back-to-back defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in 2011.

In the move, he would have teamed up with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Not Lamar Odom or Andrew Bynum, though, as they would have been going back to Denver had the Nuggets followed through with the deal.

"The deal was done with the Lakers," Anthony said. "Me and Nene for Lamar Odom and (Andrew) Bynum. That deal was done. I never thought about New York. But then, when George (Karl) had that deal and turned that deal down, now it's like, 'Oh y'all don't want me in the west, you want to send me to the East."

Other Trades That Nearly Happened

While Anthony eventually did get dealt to the Eastern Conference, he first thought it was going to be to the team located on the other side of the Hudson River at that time. There was also another surprise Western Conference suitor in the mix that nearly landed Anthony in what would have been another shocking deal.

"The deal never was with New York, the deal was with the New Jersey Nets," Anthony said. "So when we were at All-Star Weekend, the deal was with the New Jersey Nets. George Karl had a deal with Utah behind the scenes for the young boy, Derrick Favors. He thought that was a power forward that was a Nene-type power forward, he wanted him to be the next Nene."

Anthony was named a member of the NBA All-75th Anniversary Team in 2021 and was voted into the NBA Hall of Fame's Class of 2025 in his first year of eligibility on the ballot.