Report: Potential deal between Taiwanese team and former Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony is ‘in the works’

Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony seemingly couldn’t find any luck finding a team to sign with in the NBA.

It appears that he may be heading to Taiwan, as the Tainan TSG GhostHawks of the T1 League reportedly have the green light to sign him to a contract.

“Tainan TSG GhostHawks head coach Liu Meng-chu (劉孟竹) said Sunday that Taiwan Steel Group had greenlit the signing of a marquee overseas player, with a deal for NBA free agent Carmelo Anthony already in the works,” wrote Huang Chiao-wen and James Lo of Focus Taiwan.

“At a pregame press conference ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Taoyuan Leopards, Liu said the GhostHawks had opened talks with former Los Angeles Laker Anthony’s representatives.

“The GhostHawks’ search for a high-profile addition comes following the Leopards signing of Anthony’s ex-Lakers teammate Dwight Howard.”

The announcement of Anthony’s possible signing comes on the heels of Howard’s decision to continue his professional career by joining a team in the same league.

The T1 League was established in 2021 and currently has six teams.

If past NBA seasons are any indication, Anthony can still play at a high level and surely help his possible new team in Taiwan.

As fans might remember, Anthony was a pretty effective scorer last season. He averaged 13.3 points per game on a 44.1 percent shooting clip while playing for the Lakers. He also made 2.2 3-pointers per game while shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Unfortunately, his production was not enough to help the team reach the postseason. Los Angeles didn’t re-sign the 38-year-old this past offseason.

Some offense-starved NBA franchises could probably still find use for him, even as a spark off the bench. But it looks like no team in the league is seriously interested in acquiring him.

No details of Anthony’s potential contract with the GhostHawks have been released. So, it is unclear how long the former NBA scoring champion will be staying in the East Asian country if he does indeed land there.

There is also no indication whether Anthony has already played his last game in the NBA. If so, he will retire from the league as one of the most prolific scorers it has ever seen.

His 28,289 career points rank him No. 9 on the all-time scoring list. If he were to suit up for an NBA team again, then it is possible that he would move up on the list, as Shaquille O’Neal is ahead of him by just 307 points.