Report: Celtics have expressed interest in veteran Carmelo Anthony
38-year-old could offer bench depth in wake of Danilo Gallinari's injury
The Celtics are reportedly kicking the tires on veteran forward Carmelo Anthony, per Bally’s Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. Anthony could be a potential depth move for the Celtics in the wake of the Danilo Gallinari knee injury.
Gallinari injured his left knee while playing for Team Italy in the World Cup qualifiers. He grabbed his knee after receiving a bounce pass in the lane. The veteran Gallinari would hobble back to the bench area holding the back of his knee.
The 34-year-old tore his meniscus and will miss some time during the regular season, which leads the Celtics to potentially add Anthony to their bench to provide scoring depth while Gallinari misses time. It is expected that he will return to the Celtics roster by mid-November.
If that timetable is truly when Gallinari will return, adding Anthony might not make sense. However, if president of basketball operations Brad Stevens wants to protect his bench further, he could add the veteran.
The 38-year-old Anthony would be a great role player option for the C’s. Last season with the Lakers, he scored 13.3 points per game averaging 26 minutes over 69 games. Defensively, he is a massive downgrade from Gallinari.
Anthony has been linked to the Celtics for a handful of seasons dating back to when Danny Ainge ran the team. The Celtics might be better suited for a younger and cheaper option that could provide more defensive upside than Anthony.
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Photo via: Reuters/Kelley L Cox/USA TODAY Sports
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