Boston Celtics rumors: A big fat no on Carmelo Anthony, here’s why

Should the Boston Celtics sign Carmelo Anthony?

That would be a big fat no because the Celtics simply don’t need him, and more importantly Brad Stevens doesn’t need to make a panic move by signing a 38-year-old player who has not proven that he can be the type of team player both offensively and defensively they need.

One may refute that by saying he wouldn’t be any worse of a defensive liability than Danilo Gallinari.  I can’t argue that, but do Celtics fans want Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown exposed to score first type player who may or may not adapt to the way Ime Udoka likes his team to play basketball?

Boston Celtics don’t need a quick fix by signing Carmelo Anthony…at the moment

As soon as it was announced Gallinari would miss the 2022-23 NBA season, rumors swiftly turned to the Celtics signing Melo as a replacement off the bench.  Given his scoring and his overall experience, it makes does make since at first glance.

While it wouldn’t exactly hurt the foundation of the team, the Celtics have been here before by bring in veterans such as Tristan Thompson and Dennis Schröder who were good fits on paper but didn’t mesh well in the locker room.  Not to say Melo will go down that road, but if he doesn’t get on the court as much as he’d like, would that be a problem?

Would any grumblings through the NBA season hurt the cohesion the team built towards the end of last season and furthermore disrupt the maturation of Tatum and Brown?  One thing we know about Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens is that he won’t bring in Anthony if he feels it won’t be a mix.  Basically, Melo will have to buy in and accept a role he may not be accustomed to.  This may be a marriage to re-visit somewhere down the road, but not right now.

That appears to be the approach the Boston Celtics are taking as they would like to see what they have internally as Celtics beat reporter Mark Murphy outlined during an appearance on Chris Forsberg’s “Celtics Talk Podcast.”

"“I think they feel they want to find out what they’ve got.  They’re not in a hurry,” Murphy said, as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston.  “If there’s a trade out there, why not?  But I don’t think they’re at all interested in Carmelo, for example.”"

That patience may open an opportunity for a player they already have or open a situation where they can make a trade that will work even better.  That is where the Gallinari injury could be a blessing in disguise, especially if that opens up playing time for players like Sam Hauser or Mfiondu Kabengele.

Want your voice heard? Join the Chowder And Champions team!

Write for us!

Celtics fans will cringe at those names, especially with the rest of the Eastern Conference loading up, but the team may have something in one of those players, so why not find out?

"“The one name that someone I talked to kept bringing up, which I thought was a little bizarre, was Kabengele,” Murphy continued.  “They feel like they found something with him.  He did have a great G League season, and he does, going back with the Clippers, have a little bit of NBA experience.  So, they’re going to find time for him.“Sam Hauser had shoulder issues, so we didn’t really see him a lot in Summer League.  It’s a great chance for him, so why not plug him in?”"

With the addition of Malcolm Brogdon to go along with Tatum and Brown, the Boston Celtics will have plenty of scoring, but what they need is more depth off the bench.  While Carmelo Anthony provides at least a name, players like Hauser or Kabengele can bring much more energy and excitement because everyone likes when young players emerge right?

If those players don’t contribute or the Celtics become less confident, they can, there is always the NBA trade deadline where they can use a couple of those trade exceptions that haven’t expired.  So, no to Anthony for now and that is simply because the team doesn’t need to make a move just to make a move.  They may already have the answer on the current roster.