None of the players left on the NBA’s free agent list for the 2019 offseason are likely to be difference-makers for a contending team next season, but that doesn’t mean no free agents are capable of being solid rotation players.
Carmelo Anthony and Joe Johnson are two veteran forwards who might fit that bill, and there are plenty of similarities between the two former All-Stars. Neither player will bring a ton to the table on defense, but they’re versatile scorers who have the ability to create instant offense off the bench. Anthony ranks 22nd on the league’s all-time scoring list, while Johnson is also among the top 50 (No. 46). And both players are interested in resuming their NBA careers after unsatisfactory stints in Houston.
Anthony hasn’t played professionally since falling out of the Rockets‘ rotation early in the 2018/19 season, but he has talked this summer about wanting “another shot” and being willing to accept a more modest role. The Nets are among the teams said to be keeping an eye on the 35-year-old.
As for Johnson, his experience with the Rockets came at the end of the 2017/18 season. He sat out last season before starring in the BIG3 this summer, winning MVP honors and excelling against former NBA players (he led the league in points and assists and was fourth in rebounds).
The Sixers, Clippers, Bucks, and Nuggets are said to have some interest in working out Johnson, who has said he’d like to play in the NBA again because the way things ended in Houston didn’t “sit well” with him.
For teams with interest in a scoring forward, both Anthony and Johnson could hold appeal, though it remains to be seen which player is more intriguing to NBA franchises. We want to know what you think.
Which player, Anthony or Johnson, will have a more successful 2019/20 season? The barometer of “success” is somewhat subjective — it could mean averaging double-digit points, contributing to a contending team, or even just making a 15-man roster.
Do you believe there’s a clear-cut choice between the two? Do they both deserve NBA roster spots? Or are you skeptical that either player can provide any value to a contender going forward?
Vote below in our poll, then head to the comment section to share your thoughts!
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Johnson’s the safer bet, Melo we will have to see how hard he trained in the offseason.
Man those Houston Rockets are career killers for vets, just don’t go there no business in South Texas for HoF’s to be!
Rockets don’t know how to use a non-3pt chucker. Joe and Melo both HoF mid range shooters.
The correct answer is C, none of the above. Why not add Ryan Anderson as another choice here? All three of them are completely useless to any NBA team right now.
The Rockets gave that useless player 80 million. Great management on their part!
If anything happens it’s Joe Johnson to the Lakers and Carmelo to the Brooklyn Nets. But probably neither get signed.
The opposite. Carmelo is friends with LeBron and joe already has connections to brooklyn
Melo has more to give and is the better player, Johnson is less of an ego and can fit a locker room easier. But as for who will have a better 2019, it’s hard.
Johnson to have a good year is getting trails on nba teams and winning MVP again in the BIG3. For Melo everyone knows he should be in the NBA for him a good year is getting and NBA deal and playing a good role offf the bench for a team that doesn’t stink
Very simple…….Joe is a “we” player and Melo is a “me” player……
300 Melo haters makes sense but the 230 Melo lovers doesn’t :p maybe they are Iso Joe’s haters? :D
I see Johnson a good fit with the Bucks. Veteran leader who will be good locker room presence and add some key plays during playoffs.
Melo is going to be remembered one day as a great player, but I don’t see how he fits with any contender as a contributor.
Carmelo is a straight player whose life interest is in being in the NBA. A fashionable player whose time has come… but hasn’t gone. When I was a young guy, I thought Carmelo. Now I still think, ‘Carmelo’. Anthony’s time hasn’t come and gone.
I’d sign & start Anthony. It’s just more pressure on other forwards to do more. He might not be your player but he’s good enough to be real established. If you want to ball with the kid, then you can. If he sucks then he doesn’t get minutes but if he rocks then it’s a great investment. See, Houston was not a good place for him. It didn’t work out. It was unfortunate. But he is still a threat and there’s no denying it.
Carmelo is like gold. A lot of people really love him for being rarer than basically anything else. The dream of being successful is a virtuous thing that lives inside of Carmelo as a man, and it’s just undeniable to say or try to make some kind of point about that I don’t like it.