Apr 29, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Former NBA forward Carmelo Anthony waves to the crowd during game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs between the against the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Former Blazers Forward Says He Refused To Be 'Fourth Option' With LeBron James

Originally posted on Portland Trail Blazers on SI
By Jason Fray | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 4:30 PM ET

There was once an alternate universe where former Portland Trail Blazers star Carmelo Anthony teamed up with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh to form arguably the most talented young quartet in the history of the NBA.

When speaking with Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Anthony revealed that there was a scenario in which Anthony would've entered free agency at the same time as the aforementioned trio. According to the Syracuse legend, all four players were gearing up to play with one another on the same team.

However, it reportedly all fell apart because a single location/destination wasn't able to be agreed upon. Anthony would've turned down a lucrative five-year extension with the Nuggets to make this dream turn into reality.

Instead, the thought of a prime Anthony being the fourth option on any team seems rather ridiculous in retrospect.

Carmelo revealed that he had the opportunity to team up with LeBron, D-Wade, and Bosh but didn’t want to be the fourth option

“Imagine me at 23 years old, 24 years old, being the fourth option on the team when I'm leading my team every single year. Like, I'm finding my way in… pic.twitter.com/CvnZVp0zDb
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 4, 2025

"It was supposed to be [Chris] Bosh and [Dwyane] Wade and then me and [LeBron James] going somewhere. We just couldn't find out where. Imagine me at 23 years old, 24 years old, being the fourth option on the team when I'm leading my team every single year. Like, I'm finding my way in this league. And you want me to leave that and go be a fourth option? I don't know how mentally I was going to do that. So I was like, 'H***, no. I can't be that fourth.'"

It would've been fascinating to see how financially all of that would've worked out given that each athlete was at that time a premier player. Multiple players would've had to take major pay cuts in order to make this dream happen.

Even then, filling out the rest of the roster with players that weren't borderline NBA players would've been a major challenge.

The construct of a team featuring James, Bosh, Wade, and Anthony also would've presented some interesting hypotheticals. With Anthony at the four spot and Bosh at the five, along with Wade at the two and James running the point guard spot, it could've been the most lethal small ball lineup ever made. All the team would need at that point is a fifth starter capable of shooting wide-open threes from the corner.

While this potential super team is fun to think about, it's just another example of major 'what ifs' in the annals of the always intriguing NBA.