Carmelo Anthony nearly joined Kobe Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2011.
Anthony, who spent 7 1/2 seasons with the Denver Nuggets before he was dealt to the New York Knicks in a three-team blockbuster trade in February 2011, shared that the Nuggets had a deal in place to send him to the Lakers before he ultimately landed in the Big Apple.
During a recent appearance on the podcast The Why with Dwyane Wade, Anthony discussed the Nuggets-Lakers trade with his close friend and fellow former NBA star, telling the longtime Miami Heat guard that former Denver coach George Karl nixed the deal.
Denver Nuggets had a deal done to send Carmelo Anthony to the Lakers in 2011????
— BASKETBALL ON ???? (@BasketballOnX) February 20, 2024
"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… pic.twitter.com/7z0EeX4Mzo
“The deal was done with the Lakers. Me and Nenê [Hilario] for Lamar Odom and [Andrew] Bynum. That deal was done,” Anthony said, before revealing that it was Karl, with whom he has an ongoing feud, who “turned that deal down.”
Anthony, who spent 19 seasons in the NBA, said the Nuggets then explored trading him to the Eastern Conference after they rebuffed the Lakers’ blockbuster offer.
The prospect of Anthony, who ranks ninth on the all-time scoring list, and Bryant, who ranks fourth, on the same team is a scary thought indeed, especially considering that Los Angeles was coming off back to back NBA championships in 2009 and ’10.
Anthony went on to enjoy a successful tenure with the Knicks, leading them to three postseason appearances during his time in New York. The 10-time All-star announced his retirement in May 2023.
But he never won a championship in his career. One wonders if that would have changed had he ended up on the Lakers roster alongside Bryant.
