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Report: Carmelo Anthony agrees to deal with Trail Blazers

Veteran forward heading to Portland on non-guaranteed deal. We break down what his potential impact may have on the Blazers lineup.

New York Knicks former player Carmelo Anthony waves to the fans during the first quarter against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

It looks like Carmelo Anthony is back! The Portland Trail Blazers are signing the free agent forward, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It is expected to be a non-guaranteed deal.

The Blazers are dealing with a host of injury issues in their front court. Most notably, Zach Collins is rehabbing a dislocated shoulder injury and is expected to miss at least four months. Anthony is one of a few options that can at least attempt to fill in for Collins.

Assuming this happens and Anthony gets some playing time, it will mark his first on-court appearance since November 8, 2018. Indeed, it is just over one year to the day since his last game appearance. Anthony spent 10 games with the Houston Rockets last season. In his final appearance, he played 20 minutes and scoring two points on 1-of-11 shooting. He was 0-for-6 from three, and finished with five rebounds, two fouls, and one turnover.

Fantasy Basketball Analysis

There’s really no fantasy value for Carmelo Anthony in the short-term. We don’t know what kind of role he’s going to have with the Trail Blazers, considering they lack an actual power forward. Not a Melo. He’s an Iso scorer and they’ve got Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Plus, this age of NBA you don’t need Iso scorers like Carmelo Anthony. Maybe It’s a last ditch effort to get more fans in the seats? I really don’t know. At this point, if Melo gets into the rotation and is getting minutes, that’d be something. So it’s a wait and see type of situation.