The LA Lakers are looking to make a splash this offseason and names like Carmelo Anthony, Luol Deng, Isaiah Thomas, Trevor Ariza and Eric Bledsoe are potential options along with a Klay Thompson trade with the Warriors and if Melo ends up going to the Knicks or Bulls, Pau Gasol will be in higher demand and he is also an option for Los Angeles as they try and continue building around Kobe Bryant.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Lakers are looking at Thomas and he is a top option for teams, while Ariza is also getting heat from the Wizards and other clubs. The NY Knicks have Carmelo Anthony in their sights and now ESPN reports that the LA Lakers are the top competition to sign the star in free agency, with Los Angeles pitching Melo on playing alongside Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and rookie Julius Randle while winning championships in one of the premier cities in the United States and adding to all the drama is the fact that Phil Jackson and his fiance Jeanie Buss are chasing after the same player.
According to ESPN.com, the Los Angeles Lakers are considered the favorites behind the NY Knicks to sign Anthony to a contract this offseason, taking the place of the Chicago Bulls, who were expected to be the second option for Melo over staying in New York. ESPN.com reporter Ramona Shelburne writes that the Lakers are the team that the Knicks feel has the best chance apart from them to sign Anthony and it comes after LA pitched Anthony about the entertainment opportunities for himself and his wife in the city and also on the history of winning championships with the franchise.
Last season Anthony missed the playoffs for the first time in his career and now he has to decide what team gives him the best chance to win over the next couple years. The Bulls and Rockets are ready-made teams for Anthony to jump into, while the Lakers have the most cap space to build over the next couple years. The Knicks can give him the highest amount of money and the longest contract and they are poised to have more cap space after this season, but that could mean another year of missing the playoffs for Melo. The Knicks took a major step back last year after winning 54 games and the division the previous season and now Anthony has the power to shift the NBA in a big direction depending on his choice.
There is also still the chance that the Lakers could try and get LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony to sign in Los Angeles, but that would require the players to leave money on the table. Anthony can get a four year deal from the Lakers, but if the two stars joined forces in LA, they each would need to make less than $20 million and that is a significantly smaller number overall than if Melo went to NY and if James stayed in Miami. James is meeting with the Lakers as well and this comes after he opted out of his deal with Miami last month ahead of free agency starting.