LeBron James wanted the stars of Hollywood, and now he wants a former star alongside him.
James openly expressed, for the first time this season, that he wants longtime buddy Carmelo Anthony on his team, as Anthony awaits his next move, still technically on the Rockets even if the split is apparent.
Speaking after the Lakers’ 115-110 loss to the Nets on Tuesday, James expressed a desire that he has expressed in the past, but never when it was so easy to acquire Anthony.
“We’ll see. I don’t run the team, and obviously there are some things that need to be worked on on both sides,” James told reporters, in video from the Orange County Register. “But I’ve always wanted to play along with Melo, and if the opportunity presents itself, it’d be great. So we’ll see what happens.”
A night earlier, James and his wife had been spotted dining with Anthony and his wife, which could either be NBA icons and friends sharing a meal or a sign that the two may link up more seriously in the future.
A month ago, when Anthony’s divorce from the Rockets was fresh, James was more lukewarm on teaming with a shoot-first forward whose defensive liabilities have kept him unemployed for about six weeks.
“I have no idea, to be honest,” James told reporters. “That’s not a question to ask me. Right now we have 15 roster spots, right? We don’t even have a roster spot open right now. But that’s not a question for myself.”
So far, the answer by Magic Johnson & Co. has been no. But if James wants something, he usually gets it.