The Boston Celtics Must Contemplate The Carmelo Anthony Question

So much for the good injury news. It turns out that the early, hopeful diagnosis of Danilo Gallinari’s knee injury was premature as the Boston Celtics’ major offseason free agent signing suffered an ACL tear that will sideline him indefinitely. With Gallinari likely out for the entirety of the upcoming season, the Celtics have a sudden need for bench scoring. Could signing future Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony be the answer?

The 38-year-old Anthony, who averaged 13.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, is currently without a team and searching for the best spot to win the first championship ring of his storied career. The Celtics, fresh off an NBA Finals appearance, looked like the ideal landing spot for him, but until recently the team didn’t seem to have a need for him. Gallinari’s injury changes the status quo significantly.

Anthony might not be the front office’s first choice to replace Gallinari’s role in the lineup. When the forward first went down, the reports indicated that the Celtics would attempt to fill that role through one of their internal candidates. Right now, the name gaining the most traction is Sam Hauser, who showed flashes of being a three-point shooting threat with the team after being signed as a two-way player after going undrafted.

Not only does it make more sense in terms of long-term player development to give Hauser a shot than an established veteran, but it would also give the Celtics more roster flexibility. As NBC Sports’s Chris Forsberg pointed out in a recent mailbag article, the team is already above the luxury tax so they would not be able to simply waive Anthony if they signed him to a one-year deal.

If, however, the options are signing a veteran or swinging a trade, taking a gamble on Anthony might not be a bad move. After all, the Celtics would only be giving up money rather than any assets. The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn has reported that the idea is “starting to gain traction because Anthony may be the best shooting forward left on the market.”

At least one prominent individual seems open to the idea. On Twitter, Jayson Tatum—the Celtics’ best player—liked a Tweet that expressed approval of the move. While we should be careful not to read too much into any NBA player’s social media activity, it’s hard to believe that he was acting without the knowledge that this would be visible to all. Could this have possibly been a message to the front office?

Would Anthony be the ideal addition to this Celtics team? Probably not. Anthony’s love of the relatively inefficient midrange shot makes him a throwback player in 2022 and even at this peak, his defense left something to be desired. Still, Anthony remains a talented scorer, and—unlike other players of his ilk—he has successfully adjusted from being a superstar to a journeyman role player over the course of his last few seasons. This is not the disruptive locker room presence of old.

Anthony is ninth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list and the most decorated men’s basketball player in US Olympics history. He knows he needs a championship to complete his resume and the Celtics might just provide him with his last, best chance. From an intellectual standpoint, it’s easy to see why the team would prefer to explore other options but it’s hard not to fantasize about what a fairytale ending this could be for all involved.